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LIBRARY 




UNITED STATES OF AMEEIfA. 
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MEMOIR 



OF 



MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH 



BY AN OLD PUPIL. 

WITH A V \ \ 



SKETCH OF HER WORK FOR HAMPTON 



BY HELEN W.' LUDLOW. 




PHILADELPHIA: 

J. H. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 
1886. 



.0 



<^^' 



Copyright, 1885, by SuSAN LoNGSTRETH. 



TO 
OUR DEAR FRIEND AND TEACHER, 

SUSAN LONGSTRETH, 

THIS LITTLE MEMOIR OF HER LIFE-LONG COMPANION 
IS DEDICATED. 



P R E K A C K. 



When, in the middle of August, 1884, the tidings 
of Miss Mary Anna Longstreth's death reached the 
wide circle of her pupil-friends, there probably were 
few among them who did not feel that with her life 
an important chapter in their own was closed. 
" How much we and our children owe to her influ- 
ence ! Our whole lives have been moulded by her 
teaching-" was the burden of letter after letter to the 
devoted sister who survives her. 

And far beyond the inner social and family circle, 
where she was so warm a centre of affection, her 
death was felt as a deep and personal loss. The 
beneficent activity of which her life was full had its 
uncounted secret channels, often little suspected by 
those who knew her best, and many hearts once 
saddened by struggle and defeat, into which she 
had poured new courage, were among her truest 
mourners. 

Several of the more public tributes to her memory 
were reprinted, and in leaflet-form distributed among 
her friends, but there were repeated inquiries for 



6 PREFACE. 

some fuller account of a life so rich in benefit to 
others ; and it was to meet this generally-expressed 
desire, joined to an especial request from Miss Susan 
Longstreth, that the following little memoir was 
attempted. 

The extracts from the journal and letters of the 
fii-st European trip may seem to many readers too 
copious, but apart from the difficulty of selection 
from so large a mass of manuscript it seemed de- 
sirable to give in some fulness a page of Miss 
Mary Anna's experience quite unconnected with 
her ordinary school-life. The aim throughout has 
been to let her character speak as far as possible 
for itself without the intrusion of mere eulogy. 

It is pleasant to acknowledge gratefully the sym- 
pathetic interest of many friends in the preparation 
of the memoir, and especially to thank those whose 
contributions enrich the narrative. 

Margaret Newlin. 

PmLADELPHiA, November 1st, 1885. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGB 

Girlhood and Youth 9 

CHATTER II. 
The Young Teachers 21 

CHAPTER III. 
May-Parties, Etc 39 

CHAPTER IV. 
First Trip to Europe 48 

CHAPTER V. 
The Rhine and Switzerland 77 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Second School 139 

CHAPTER VII. 
Retrospect 150 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Close of School-Life 157 

CHAPTER IX. 
Family Life 164 

CHAPTER X. 

Philanthropic Interests — Social Life . . . .169 

7 



8 - CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XI. 

PAGE 

Last Years i75 



HAMPTON 179 

APPENDIX 217 



]\/I K m: O I R 

OF 

MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH 



CHAPTER I. 



CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 



Among the gay throng at many a Philadelphia 
wedding or bridal reception within the last half-cen- 
tury, one old enough to look back on so long a 
period must recall a guest whose appearance was in 
striking contrast to all around her. Yet none ever 
witnessed the holy rite with more reverent sympathy, 
or in greeting the youthful bride was received with 
more eager affection. One glimpse of the sweet 
childlike face under the plain Friend's bonnet would 
tell the whole story, — it could be no other than Miss 
Mary Anna Longstreth. All who knew her de- 
lighted to honor her, and two generations rose up 
to bless her memory when she passed away. What 

9 



lO MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

was the secret of her success ? Perhaps the follow- 
ing little Memoir may help to explain it. 

Mary Anna Longstreth sprang from a vigorous 
race — men and women of sound well-ordered minds 
in marvellously sound bodies. Isaac* and Rachel 
Collins, her grandparents on the maternal side, had 
seven sons and as many daughters, of whom all but 
one lived to an advanced age. There was no death 
among this band of brothers and sisters for sixty-five 
years, and the average age of twelve of them was 
eighty. They were all carefully educated, their 
father sparing no pains or expense to give them the 
best advantages the time and country afforded, even 
changing his place of residence twice for this pur- 
pose. In 1778 he removed from Burlington, N. J., 
to Trenton, where he united with some of the most 
influential citizens in founding the Trenton Acade- 
my, which nine of his children attended. In 1796 
he again moved, this time to the city of New York, 
sending several of his younger children to Nine 
Partners Boarding-School (in the same State), where 



* Isaac Collins was a printer, and from his presses was issued the 
first quarto Bible that was ever published in America. His daugh- 
ters were trained as proof-readers, and to the keenness of eye with 
which they learned to detect the slightest typographical mistake, we 
may perhaps trace the extreme accuracy of the teachers in the next 
generation. 



ANCESTR V. 1 1 

it was hoped the guarded rehgious influence might 
carry on as closely as possible the conscientious 
home-training. 

But for this, boarding-school life at its best must 
have been but a poor substitute. The mother of this 
numerous family was a woman of few words, but of 
rare strength and loveliness of character, inspiring 
an enthusiastic affection, not only in her immediate 
household, but among all who were connected with 
her. Domestic tradition long dwelt fondly on her 
memory, and still recalls the overwhelming sense of 
loss caused by her death, when her daughter Mary, 
afterwards the mother of Mary Anna Longstreth, 
was but sixteen years of age. But Mrs. Collins had 
lived long enough to leave an ineffaceable impress on 
the characters of her children, thus indirectly mould- 
ing, we cannot doubt, the traits and destiny of grand- 
children, whose influence was to touch a far wider 
sphere. 

Miss Longstreth's father also lost in early boyhood 
an excellent mother, whose place, however, was filled 
as far as could be possible by his elder sister Susan, 
a woman of sterling sense and most affectionate na- 
ture, who cared for her young brothers and sister 
with a truly maternal solicitude, and was their best 
adviser throughout her long life. It was this faithful 
" Aunt Susan," whose home at Greenway, near Phila- 



12 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

delphia, afterwards became the favorite resort of her 
young nieces, and the scene of the happy annual 
May parties, so well remembered by two generations 
of their pupils. 

Isaac T. Longstreth and Mary Collins were mar- 
ried at Burlington, N. J., October 28, 1808, and were 
soon settled in Church Alley, Philadelphia, under 
the shadow of the now venerable and historic Christ 
Church. The city at that time extended two miles 
along the Delaware, but little towards the west, 
Fifth Street being considered " far up-town." So 
simple were the habits of the dwellers in Church 
Alley, that most of them sent the Sunday's dinner 
to be cooked at the bake-house of a good friend 
and neighbor, while they went to their respective 
places of worship. Here, surrounded by little that 
might be called luxury, but in the midst of every 
comfort, was born, February 9, 1811, Mary Anna 
Longstreth, an infant greatly desired and joyfully 
welcomed, and certainly not the less gratifying to 
her parents, that her beauty and unruffled serenity 
of temper were matters of general comment and ad- 
miration. Her health was perfect ; she was never 
heard to cry ; and the fears expressed by a friend of 
her mother, a true Job's comforter certainly, that this 
extraordinary placidity " might indicate a lack of 
common sense," seems to have awakened no anxiety. 



EARLY LESSONS. I^ 

Two and a half years later, on the birth of her 
baby sister Susan, the little girl was sent to school, — 
according to a common practice at that time, perhaps 
intended to secure the long morning nap of the new- 
comer, undisturbed by the frolic play of older chil- 
dren. But there was no forced work in the dames' 
schools of those days. The recitation of a, b, ab, 
and the accomplishment of a few even stitches of 
overscan! or hemming, were considered quite suffi- 
cient occupation for the morning session, after which 
a trusty little maid was sent to bring the child home 
to receive the young mother's eager welcome. This, 
in the autumn of 1 8 13, was the beginning of the 
school-life, which never ceased until the year 1877, 
when it was most reluctantly closed. 

Actual study, however, first began for the little 
Mary Anna at the school of the Misses M, L. and S. H. 
Cox, to whom she was sent in 18 16. Here she re- 
mained five years, showing a fondness for reading 
and grammar, but finding such difficulty in writing 
that her teachers feared she never would succeed. 
That this apprehension was needless, and that in fact 
her hands were dexterous in every way, is proved by 
a letter written to her aunt Anna S. Collins, in 18 18, 
in which she informs her that she has finished the 
shirt she was making for her father, and has received 
the promised dollar as reward. Those who remem- 



H 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



ber the exquisite penmanship of later years, at once 
the admiration and despair of her young pupils, 
will smile at this little story of the child of seven 
years. 

The aunt Anna Collins, to whom the letter just 
spoken of was addressed, had come on the death of 
her father to live in the family of her sister, Mrs. 
Longstreth, and from that time her intense interest, 
as well as assistance, in the education and develop- 
ment of her young nieces and nephews, was a con- 
stant stimulus to them. When Mary Anna, at eight 
years of age, began the study of the Latin language, 
Miss Collins did the same, that she might aid the 
little girl in her lessons and better understand her 
difficulties. 

In 1 8 19, as there was no school in Philadelphia 
where girls could be taught Latin and Greek, a master 
was sought to give private Latin lessons, and Dr. J. D. 
Price, then waiting to be sent as a missionary to 
Burmah, was engaged for this purpose. The interest 
Dr. Price's old pupil felt in his work after he sailed for 
India was the beginning of an active sympathy in 
missions which only warmed and deepened through- 
out her life. The first five hundred dollars that could 
be spared from her earnings after the needs of the 
family were supplied, were given for a J. D. Price 
scholarship. " Honor the Lord with thy substance, 



THE CHILD TEACHER. 



15 



and with the first fruits of all thine increase," was 
a law of her life, and her natural warmth and gen- 
erosity of character delighted to fulfil it in its most 
literal sense.* 

Dr. Price was succeeded by other masters, one 
of whom taught her Greek and another French, until 
the autumn of 1824, when John M. Brewer was 
invited to open a girls' school in Philadelphia, in 
which Latin and Greek were to be added to the usual 
course of study. Mary Anna Longstreth was one of 
Mr. Brewer's first scholars, and soon became one of 
his best, not only making rapid progress herself, but 
giving lessons in Latin to her little sister Susan, at 
that time attending another school. These lessons 
were to be learned as well as recited after school 
hours, and one cannot but wish that both the chil- 
dren, not only the little pupil of eleven, but her 
teacher of thirteen, could have been enjoying instead, 
a wholesome romp in the open air in these brief 
intervals of school routine. There was no play about 
the Latin lessons, however, as we shall presently see. 
But it was a hard struggle. 



* Two other scholarships were afterwards added to the Burman 
mission, named after Dr. Wade and his wife, with whom Miss Long- 
streth kept up a con.stanl correspondence. The devotion and success 
of these valued friends were a source of great happiness to her. She 
was also interested in mission schools at Calcutta and Mount Lebanon. 



1 6 MEMOIR OF .^FARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" It's of no use ; I can't learn it !" breaks out little 
Susan, sitting on the door-step in the lovely summer 
afternoon, and in a passion of impatience she flings 
the book from her. But with this outburst rebellion 
ends. " Silly girl !" she cries, almost in the same 
breath ; " it must be done !" And the hated book 
is meekly picked up again, the lesson learned, and 
self-discipline begun. 

Before the child was twelve years old she had not 
only read every word of Virgil, — Bucolics, Georgics, 
and yEneid, — but so thoroughly, that when the in- 
credulous Mr. Brewer afterwards examined her on her 
entrance into his school, in 1824, she could analyze 
and parse the most difficult passages he selected for 
her. After this proof of the young Mary Anna's 
abilities as a teacher, we are not surprised to find 
Mr. Brewer speedily engaging her as an assistant, 
a position in which, while still pursuing her own 
studies, she soon became most valuable, remaining in 
it for three years, or until the spring of 1829, a great 
favorite both with master and pupils. The first pay- 
ment for these services to Mr. Brewer was a great 
delight to her. There is a pleasant little story of her 
hastening to lay the well-earned store in her mother's 
lap, joyfully exclaiming, "There! now we are inde- 
pendent. " 

These years of early girlhood, though as busy 



GIRLHOOD. 17 

perhaps as any period of her whole Hfe, were full of 
quiet happiness. The close occupation seemed no 
strain upon her health or spirits. Her mind was 
daily expanding; her note-books constantly record 
new studies undertaken for self-improvement out of 
school hours, while the little diary, meant for no 
eyes but her own, bears witness to the deepening 
earnestness with which she looked upon her voca- 
tion as a teacher. Its outpourings are too intimate 
and sacred for indiscriminate quotation, but a few 
passages will show what fervor of effort and aspira- 
tion, and what humility of spirit, lay beneath the 
almost childlike buoyancy of manner, which be- 
longed to her until the verge of old age. 

''2d mo. C)fh, 1828. — This morning I have com- 
pleted my seventeenth year, and, looking back on 
my past life, very grateful do I feel to a merciful 
heavenly Father for the care He has taken of me 
and the hedges He has placed around me, . . . and 
sincerely do I desire that, as long as I live, I may do 
His will and not mine own." 

A few days later she alludes with great pleasure 
to a little fete given her by a party of her young 
companions. Together with her sister Susan they 
had made up a French class of twelve members, and 
on this occasion it was agreed that each one should 

2-::- 



l8 }fEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

contribute a dish to a pretty table spread in Mary- 
Anna's honor. All the lively girlish talk was in 
French, in which, by constant practice, they had 
become very expert. 

" 2d vio. 2ist, 1828. — Received from my kind 
friend and preceptor, J. M. Brewer, the sum of ;^220 
for my services at school during the last six months. 
I thank Thee, my heavenly Father, for this blessing, 
and rejoice that I am able to contribute to my beloved 
mother's comforts. I thank Thee for the excellent 
means Thou hast given me for obtaining a good edu- 
cation, — it is better than houses or lands, — and I feel 
very grateful for the agreeable situation in which I 
am placed at school, free from every care, anxiety, or 
responsibility. Enable me, I pray Thee, to bring for- 
ward those committed to my care to the satisfac- 
tion of my kind prec?eptor. Render me of essential 
service to him and his pupils. 

" gt/i 1110. \st. — Truly, goodness and mercy have 
followed me all the days of my life. I think I have 
never passed a vacation more happily, — the first 
four weeks at Burlington and the last three at dear 
Greenway. And now, with renewed health, strength, 
and vigor, I have returned to my duties at school. 
Oh that I may, by continual patience and applica- 
tion, promote the improvement of my dear pupils, 
lighten the cares of my preceptor, and faithfully dis- 
charge my duty as assistant ! . . . 

"9//! mo. \6th. — Received from my kind preceptor 
^290 for my services for the last six months. ... I feel 



YOUTHFUL DIARY. lO 

very much animated to pursue my pleasant labors at 
school. . . . 

" loth 1)10. — So far our family is blessed with usual 
health, and myself with uncommon strength and 
vigor, although we hear that sickness prevails all 
around us. . . . For a week or two past, in endeavor- 
ing to fulfil my duties (though conscious of entire 
incapability by myself without divine aid and sup- 
port), ... I have been blessed with great peace, and 
comfort, and tranquillity of soul. For this inestimable 
mercy I desire to render praise and thanksgiving to 
the Author of every good and perfect gift; and when 
in His wisdom He sees fit to withhold the smiles of 
His love and the joy of His presence, and visits me 
with clouds and afflictions, may I remember this 
season of favor and consolation, and wait with pa- 
tience till He in His infinite mercy is pleased to arise 
again ' with healing in His wings.' " 

In an entry dated 2d mo. 9th, 1829, her eighteenth 
birthday, an especial sense of the responsibility of 
life seems to rest upon her. Her young heart, like 
that of the child Samuel in the temple, was ever 
answering to its inward calls, " Speak, Lord, for Thy 
servant heareth ;" and now, not as a reluctant sacri- 
fice, but as a joyful true-love offering, she dedicates 
herself afresh, and with a depth and earnestness of 
purpose that thenceforth knew no change : 

" Eternal and ever-blessed God ! ... It is with the 



20 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

utmost solemnity that I make this surrender of my- 
self to Thee. The whole frame of my nature, all the 
faculties of my mind, and all the members of my 
body would I present before Thee this day as a living 
sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which I 
know to be my ' most reasonable service.' To Thee 
I consecrate all that I am and all that I have, — my 
worldly possessions, my time, my talents, my influ- 
ence over others, — to be devoted to Thy glory as long 
as Thou continuest me in this life; with an ardent de- 
sire to continue Thine through eternity ; ever holding 
myself in readiness to execute what I believe to be 
Thy divine will. 

(Signed) " Mary Anna Longstreth." 

Below, we read, " Again subscribed to 9th mo. 1st, 
1829. Thankfully, 2d mo. 9th, 1830." 



CHAPTER II. 

THE YOUNG TEACHERS. 

Early in the spring of 1829 it was decided that 
the sisters should begin teaching on their own ac- 
count, and accordingly the two young girls, Mary 
Anna, eighteen, and Susan, sixteen, made arrange- 
ments to open a school under the protection of their 
mother's roof in the following September. They 
must have been very modest as to the proficiency of 
which they had already given such substantial proofs, 
for one of their nearest relatives seems to have been 
half amazed, half amused, at the temerity of the en- 
terprise. Susan, especially, who then looked even 
younger than she really was, they evidently consid- 
ered a mere child, quite unaware, probably, of the 
volumes of classic lore she had stored up in her lit- 
tle head when not yet twelve years old. And the 
young teachers themselves were not without their 
own serious misgivings. Mary Anna, as we have 
seen already, had had no care or responsibility while 
teaching under Mr. Brewer, except in the daily rou- 
tine of duty, which familiarity had made easy, and 



22 MEMOIR OF MARV ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

which was still further brightened to her by her de- 
light in her young pupils. Her popularity among 
them was so great that Mr. Brewer, probably fearing 
they might follow her en masse if she opened a school 
of her own, required of her the rather surprising 
promise that not one of them, in such a case, should 
be received. 

But the summer was still before the sisters, in 
which they hoped to rest and gather up both courage 
and energy for their new undertaking. Accordingly, 
in the month of May, Mary Anna and her mother 
went out for a long visit to the hospitable Aunt 
Susan at Greenway. Here a new anxiety awaited 
them. Mrs. Longstreth, who had been very frail 
all the spring, was now taken dangerously ill. Her 
younger daughter Susan, and the devoted aunt 
Anna Collins, were at once sent for, and for weeks, 
while the precious life hung in the balance, little else 
was thought of In July, however, the patient ral- 
lied, and a little later Mary Anna writes in her diary : 

" %th mo. 1st. — Dear mother evidently gains strength. 
Oh, make us grateful, Almighty Father ! . . . Returned 
to town to attend to business connected with our in- 
tended school. Many difficulties appear in the way. 
Only two pupils are engaged ; they do not come for- 
ward as fast as we expected. A good deal of diffi- 
culty occurs too in procuring a suitable house." . . . 



SUCCESS. 23 

The prospect, however, soon brightened, and a 
natural rebound of youthful gladness followed the 
long strain of anxiety, the kind Aunt Susan making 
as usual their joys as well as their sorrows her own. 
" What has she not done," writes Mary Anna, with 
affectionate gratitude, "that could give us pleasure? 
What attention, what kindness has she omitted? 
What a mother has she been to our dear sick 
mother! Oh, bless her!" 

" 8//^ ino. 29///. — Bade adieu to dear Greenway, not 
without tears. Lovely abode of peace, content, and 
affection — a delightful home hast thou been to me 
for three months. May every blessing be showered 
on thee, sweet Greenway !" 

Meanwhile a house had been found at No. 3 
North Eleventh Street, and here the little school was 
opened. 

"9//^ nio. ist, 1829. — Commenced school with five 
scholars, and the prospect of having our number 
made up as soon as we desire. We meet with kind 
friends and affectionate encouragement on all sides. 

" gt/i 1110. yth. — Our school succeeds delightfully. 
Eight pupils attend, and several more are in pros- 
pect. No trouble or embarrassment or difficulty. 

" iith mo. i^th. — Blessings are multiplied, — a kind 
Providence, kind friends, health, and content. Four- 
teen pupils engaged. 



24 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" id mo. gtli, 1830. — Time, time, with rapid wings 
thou fliest ! Nineteen years old to-day ! Bless the 
Lord, O my soul, for nineteen years of mercies per- 
petual and goodness unlimited. Again do I sub- 
scribe humbly and thankfully to the covenant made 
this day last year, supplicating for increased ability 
to persevere and keep it, acknowledging my own 
helplessness, but adoring the power of Him who has 
helped and will help me. . . . 

"Our school prospers, — fourteen pupils. Our 
health good ; our dear mother better. How much 
more than we deserve ! Oh, make us more holy and 
pure, more humble and devout, more meek and gentle, 
more patient and submissive, more constant in prayer 
and fervent in spirit ! Oh, continue Thy loving-kind- 
ness and the light of Thy countenance, for in Thee, 
my Saviour, do I put my trust." 

The school was now well established. The 
young teachers had as many pupils as they desired, 
twenty being at this time their limit. In those early 
days in the Eleventh Street house, the comfortably 
carpeted school-room, with its open wood-fire, and 
the little band of pupils scarcely younger and cer- 
tainly not fairer than their young mistresses, must 
have made an attractive picture. There was many a 
winter day nevertheless when the benumbed fingers 
farthest from the hearth found it hard to guide the 
pen with the finished neatness required, and Susan, 



FIRST PUPILS. 



25 



the quill-pen maker and mender, whose patient 
labors were never ended, no doubt would gladly 
have sacrificed picturesqueness to a somewhat higher 
thermometer. 

The only assistant needed at this time was a 
native French master.* Thoroughness and solidity 
were always aimed at rather than any showiness of 
attainment, and in the plainer branches especially, 
no pains were spared to insure a firm foundation. 
Finding that many of their first scholars, though 
well taught in other respects, were very defective in 
the matter of spelling, the sisters tried various ex- 
pedients for remedying the difficulty, but finally de- 
cided that the whole school should take part in the 
exercise. All who attended, in later years at all 
events, must remember the systematic way of teach- 
ing this much neglected branch, and the manner in 
which the correction of misspelled words was im- 
pressed upon the memory. The delinquent was apt 
to think only of her own irksome task in copying 
out the long corrected lists ; the amount of extra 
labor on the teacher's part in examining the great 
pile of " error books" in her precious hours of so- 
called rest was rarely taken into the account. 



■"■ Mr. Bolmar was first employed, but Mr. Gardel, afterwards st) 
identified with the school, entered on his long term of service in 1833, 
remaining almost continuously until its close in 1877. 

3 



26 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

The confidence and satisfaction expressed by many 
of the parents of those under their charge was a 
great stimulus and encouragement to tlie young 
teachers. A large proportion of pupils remained 
three, four, and five years, and the close acquaintance 
thus formed ripened in many cases into a loving inti- 
macy, that lent a glow of romance to the pursuit of 
knowledge, lightening its dryest taskwork. The dif- 
ference in age was so slight, there was all the sym- 
pathy and companionship of youth between teachers 
and scholars. They were but climbing together the 
hill of knowledge, and there was mutual delight in 
following its pleasant upward paths, and gaining ever 
wider outlooks. 

This little group of early alumni could never be 
persuaded by the most enthusiastic after-scholars 
that theirs was not the " golden prime" of the school. 
One of them thus writes : 

" Fresh themselves from school, they knew the 
difficulties of study, and their sympathy for and 
patient labor with a discouraged pupil was very 
helpful. When a delinquent in lessons or conduct 
would return the day after a reproof timid or dis- 
heartened, she would be greeted with, ' This day 
and every day is a tabula rasa; nothing of yester- 
day remains upon it.' They had a gift of impart- 
ing enthusiasm to every study. I had just finished 



FIRST PUPILS. 



27 



reading Cowper's ' Task' at another school, and 
hardly knew that it was a poem. Here we had 
' Paradise Lost,' which we both read and parsed. 
The history of the author, of the period, the my- 
thology, the scriptural allusions, were all dwelt upon, 
and though I was but twelve years old, I learned 
its greatness, and was able in after-years to impart 
to others the illumination they had given it. But 
the same interest was maintained in all our work. 
The household throughout was full of loving anxiety 
for our welfare, the dear mother often bringing some 
dainty for the child kept after school, lest the ' dear 
little one' should suffer. 

" Dr. Hare's daughter was our fellow-pupil, and 
her father's brilliant experiments in electricity it was 
our privilege to attend. Dr. McMurtrie's lectures on 
zoology also added spirit to the study in the class- 
room. I had come broken in health from another 
school, where I had to work hard in the old, dry 
way, and this seemed a ' royal road to learning.' 

" At that time Fanny Kemble had appeared in 
this country to electrify the public with her elocu- 
tion and dramatic force, and the parents of some of 
the children felt they would gain in attending these 
representations. Our teachers were very careful to 
utter no word of censure on the subject, and would 
listen with sympathy to an ardent pupil as she por- 
trayed her impressions of Portia, and then quietly 
turn the attention of the class to the history of 
Venice, as the ' mistress of the seas,' and give the 
key to the story of Shylock and Antonio. It was a 



28 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

gift with our beloved Mary Anna to pass from her- 
self into the heart of the scholar, and draw her 
to the highest within herself. In after-years my 
daughter was her pupil, and though the school had 
become very large, the same spirit was ever ap- 
parent, and I was not surprised to hear my child 
say, ' I do like to recite a lesson to Miss Mary Anna, 
she so appreciates it.' 

" She has sent forth generations of workers, she 
has exalted the dignit}^ of labor, and shall we ever 
look upon her like again? Three happy years I 
passed under the care of these admirable women, 
and have since had the privilege of their friendship 
and continued sympathy. Mine was the first of the 
many marriages of their pupils that they attended, 
and I still cherish the picture of the humming-bird, 
the orange blossoms, and the appropriate verses pre- 
sented at that time. 

"L.J. H." 

Young as they were, both the sisters fully realized 
the responsible office they had undertaken, and never 
rested satisfied with their own mental equipment. 
As soon as the hours of teaching were over, those of 
self-improvement began, with the briefest interval for 
rest. They took lessons in drawing and perspective ; 
they attended lectures on chemistry and natural 
philosophy ; they read indefatigably. A little note- 
book, kept by Mary Anna, records with characteristic 
method and neatness a list of books read between 



SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 29 

January, 1827, and December, 1830, numbering in 
all sixty-four volumes, — history, travels, biography, 
moral philosophy, with here and there such grave 
diversion as Young's "Night Thoughts" or "Contri- 
butions of Q. Q." There is an early note of "Trage- 
dies de Racine," Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered," trans- 
lated into French, and one v^acation, Mrs. Sherwood's 
" Lady of the Manor." The earnest resolution re- 
corded in her youthful journal, to indulge as little 
as possible in the love of merely entertaining reading 
so natural to her age, had been faithfully kept. Yet 
she loved an innocent jest as much as any one, and 
her habitual brightness, even gayety of manner, her 
quick smile and genial laughter, and above all, the 
rare sweetness of a face, the very " lineaments of 
gospel books," left no room for the reproach that her 
religion was an austere one. At home or at school 
the testimony was the same, — few things could ruffle 
her. For the comfort and encouragement of dys- 
peptic saints, however, whose dearest friends find 
them " ill to live with," whose nerves are a legion of 
spiritual foes, it ought to be acknowledged that the 
sound physique had much to do with this habitual 
equanimity. 

" One result of my sister's fine health," writes Miss 
Susan L., " was a very fine temper, remarkably free 
from irritability. She seemed to have no memory for 

3* 



30 



MEMOIR OF MARY AJVATA LONGSTRETH. 



slights or affronts ; no small advantage to a teacher, 
whose many trials in this way every one can appre- 
ciate." Yet without doubt the calm self-possession 
under provocation, and the quiet serenity with which 
she met difficulties, were largely due to the ever- 
deepening inner life whose hidden springs we have 
discovered. " Let the spirit of prayer be a mantle 
around me," we read in her diary at this period. 
" Let my soul breathe upwards unto Thee in every 
trial, trouble, and vexation. . . . O Lord, my heart is 
froward, but indeed my eyes are not lofty. I ac- 
knowledge with humility and contrition my number- 
less transgressions. How much I have need of more 
meekness and patience in bearing the trials, the 
severe trials, to which I am subjected by the tongue 
of man ! Oh, imprint on my mind that a ' soft answer 
turneth away wrath' ! Teach me to curb my own 
unruly little member and bear all things with gentle- 
ness." 

In July, 1832, the dreaded scourge of the East, 
the Asiatic cholera, already raging at Montreal and 
Quebec, and daily increasing its ravages in New 
York, had reached Philadelphia. 

" Most of our family," continues the diary, "expect 
to go out to Greenway, perhaps never to return. 
Wherever we look all is gloom, save in one spot, and 



VACATIONS. ^j 

that is bright,— the faithfulness of our Redeemer. . . 
Thy will be done, O Lord, in life or death, only for- 
sake us not. 

"9/// 1110.., 1832. — Let me hasten to acknowledge 
the blessings of my heavenly Father, and our pres- 
ervation amid the ravages of the pestilence, . . . and 
His especial goodness in bringing us once more 
together as a family, although almost every member 
of it has at one time or another been more or less 
indisposed." 

Susan Longstreth had a light attack of the pre- 
vailing disease, but with every sanitary precaution 
around her, soon entirely recovered. 

The sisters' unremitting labor and responsibility 
for ten months of each year now made a complete 
change of air and scene desirable in the school vaca- 
tion, and it became their usual practice — sometimes 
combining with friends, occasionally with only the 
little party of brothers and sisters — to spend five or 
six weeks at Newport or Cape May, or in a trip to 
the then distant Niagara or White Mountains. In 
these summer journeyings they were once more 
young girls, entering with enthusiasm into all that 
was grand or beautiful, enjoying keenly the social 
variety, the complete relaxation from care and rou- 
tine, and finding amusement even in the little mis- 
haps of the way. 



■>2 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

In the summer of 1835 they made a visit to Niag- 
ara, returning greatly refreshed and invigorated. The 
school rapidly filled up in the following autumn; 
but as the first class was to leave at the expiration 
of the quarter, — a time of year when new pupils were 
rarely received, — both Mary Anna and her sister 
were somewhat anxious lest their numbers should 
be seriously lessened. Before the old scholars left, 
however, every vacancy was filled ; and " now," 
writes M. A., in January, 1836, " we have an assem- 
blage of the most amiable and interesting pupils we 
have ever had." Her lot in life at this time was very 
pleasant to her. A few months later the diary con- 
tinues : 

"6/// mo., 1836. — What shall I render to Thee for 
all our blessings ? They are innumerable, yet I would 
try to number a few. Health excellent, — seldom a 
pain or a headache ; my beloved mother and aunt, 
brothers and sisters, still spared to me ; the warm 
love and esteem of those dear friends (and the circle 
is not small) whose love I most desire; ... a school 
of affectionate pupils, and as many as we are willing 
to have ; and though our anxiety and care are often 
great, great too is our satisfaction and sweet our rec- 
ompense ; . . . contentment to sweeten every labor ; 
hope to illumine every cloud, and a little faith to 
lighten the dark side of every prospect; happiness 
in the past, the present, and the future, in the full 



RE MO VA L TO CHERR V S TRE E T. 



33 



assurance that all has been planned for us in infinite 
love and wisdom." 



In the autumn of 1836 the school was removed 
from the private house in Eleventh Street (where the 
family, however, continued to live some time longer) 
to more commodious quarters in Cherry Street near 
Eleventh, where, with the exception of one year of 
rest, partly spent by the sisters in Europe, it con- 
tinued to be held for the next twenty-one years. A 
large garden attached to the building, with an open 
wooden structure for rainy weather, added greatly to 
its value for school purposes, and many an eager 
game was played here in the noon recess by merry 
girls of thirteen and fourteen. Their mental powers 
were certainly not less active after this welcome break 
in the long morning session, and when the bell sum- 
moned the panting rosy groups back into the school- 
room, it was for many years Miss Longstreth's cus- 
tom to hold a few minutes' pause before they dispersed 
to their various classes, and read aloud a brief extract 
— perhaps only a sentence or two — from some high- 
thoughted writer, — a little seed dropped into the 
ground when it was most likely to take root. 

In 1838 the peaceful tenor of school-life was 
broken in upon by a somewhat exciting incident. 
The hall, in which the Women's Abolition Society 



34 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



were holding a convention, had been set on fire by 
a mob on the evening of May 17. Twenty thou- 
sand people, it was said, thronged around the burn- 
ing building, and, as the firemen were not allowed to 
play upon the flames, it was completely destroyed. 
The convention, not to be thus baffled, repaired next 
morning to another public hall, and being refused 
admittance, one of their number, in her zeal for a 
cause warranting, as she thought, any risks, invited 
the whole body to assemble in her school-room, im- 
mediately over that of Miss Longstreth. Although 
but one session of the society was held there pre- 
vious to their final adjournment, the populace heard 
of it, and the building was marked for destruction. 

" Our fears," says M. A. L., " were of course pow- 
erfully excited, and the owner of the property gave 
up all idea of its preservation. . . . We were favored 
with the company of dear Uncle Grellet,* who, during 
a time of silence, commended us to Him who is a 
covert from the heat and a refuse from the storm. 



* Stephen Grellet, who had married Mrs. Longstreth's eldest sis- 
ter, was a man whose career was as remarkable as his character. 
Born a Frenchman, a Roman Catholic, and the heir of rank and 
wealth, he lost his estates in the French Revolution, became by 
adoption an American citizen, and by convincement a member of the 
Society of Friends. Finally, as an accredited minister among them, 
he carried the gospel message among the great as well as the lowly 
of the earth, with the spirit and power of an apostle. 



REMINISCENCES. ^c 

" Between eight and nine o'clock we were informed 
that the mob had assembled round the building, and 
that there was little or no hope of its being saved 
from the flames. Several of our friends kindly 
called to extend their sympathy, and our inde- 
fatigable friend, Mordecai L. Dawson, went among 
the populace, and at not a little personal risk and 
with much exertion, succeeded, with a few others, in 
diverting them from the school-house, so that before 
ten o'clock the mob dispersed without doing the least 
injury." 

The next four or five years, though checkered 
with the joys and sorrows incident to all human 
life, were years of great prosperity in the school and 
great happiness among the scholars. The following 
letter is from a pupil of this period, well able to 
judge both of the moral and literary standing of the 
school when she belonged to it : 

"My dear M.: 

" I could hardly in the compass of a letter add 
any nezv testimony to the virtues of the beloved 
friend and teacher of my youth, and yet my heart 
would prompt me to record some of the memories 
of those happy school days, where lessons were 
made so attractive that the taskwork was seldom 
felt to be a burden, and where the spirit of truthful- 
ness, purity, and gentleness emanating from the 
teachers so pervaded the school that all sternness 



36 



AfEJrOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



of rule was unnecessary. It was the law of love 
that governed us, and the obedience given was from 
the heart. 

" The years that I spent with them were to me 
ideal, golden days, when study was made a delight; 
and I must consider the period as almost the golden 
age of the school, for the sisters had then attained 
the full maturity of their powers, and, as the number 
of pupils was still comparatively small, we had the 
full benefit of their instruction and personal influence, 
for, excepting the French teacher Gardel, there was 
little outside assistance. 

" I cannot dissociate them in my mind, for the 
work went on so harmoniously, each supplementing 
the other, that there seemed but one ruling spirit. 
I have never known the power of precept and ex- 
ample more beautifully blended ; the approval of our 
teachers was our great incentive to effort; admiration 
and love of goodness in them became our moving 
spring, and gratitude for their faithful labors for us 
lent a glow of pleasure to all we attempted. 

" There must have been some singular beauty of 
character thus to impress the minds and hearts of 
thoughtless young girls, and without now dwelling 
upon the purity and conscientiousness of the younger 
sister, which seemed to give her the divining power 
of Ithuriel's spear, I recall the simplicity and youth- 
ful brightness, and innocence of face and manner, 
that, combined with a perfect gift of sympathy, so 
endeared Miss Mary Anna to us. To these lovely 
qualities were added in both an intelligence that not 



GOLDEN days:' 



37 



only quickly apprehended the bearings of a subject, 
but the difficulties of other minds in dealing with 
it ; and while principle and habit forbade them to do 
anything imperfectly or slightingly, their patience 
with slowness and dulness was unwearied. 

" As a member of the same religious society with 
them, I remember their consistent adherence to its 
principles and practice, while they were entirely free 
from the spirit of dogmatism, or interference with 
the differing views of their pupils. 

" I leave it to others to tell of the fostering help 
they were always ready to extend to young aspirants 
in their own field of labor, and the untiring energy 
with which in later life they threw themselves into 
wide and various educational and benevolent inter- 
ests. But the picture of the school as it stands up 
in my memory can never be effaced ; we seemed to 
live in an atmosphere of intelligence, refinement, and 
love, and the girl must have been dull and cold- 
hearted indeed that did not feel the sweet influence 
of the place, where uprightness and gentleness, and 
all that was pure and lovely and of good report, were 
encouraged, and we felt that insincerity, selfishness, 
and coarseness would always be severely judged. 

" I doubt not that the enthusiasm in the pursuit of 
knowledge awakened there has accompanied many 
of their pupils into their after-life, and has borne 
fruit in the education and training of their own 
children. 

" E. W. C." 

4 



38 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



In 1839, M. A. L.'s youngest sister, who had 
now for several years taken part in the teaching, 
and whom the students of that time will no doubt 
well remember as " Miss Elizabeth," was married to 
Mr. Israel Morris. This event, naturally of great 
interest and importance to the family circle, involved 
also a slight change in the school, some salaried 
aid from without becoming necessary. 

The general financial distress of 1842 had its 
immediate effect upon all the schools of the com- 
munity, and some were entirely broken up. The 
number of Miss Longstreth's pupils was greatly re- 
duced both in this and the following year, and the 
sisters felt the diminution of income seriously, 
though less for themselves than for others whom 
it was their delight to aid. The thinning out of their 
pupils, however, had its compensations, for in May, 
1844, Mary Anna writes : 

" Sweets have been mingled with our cup of trial. 
Our school, though disappointing in a pecuniary 
view, has been exceedingly pleasant, — never more so, 
— and never more crowned with success in the im- 
provement of our pupils, both in their deportment 
and in their studies. Most of them have done as 
much as we could desire, and our aim is very high." 



CHAPTER III. 

MAY-PARTIES, ETC. 

The aunt Susan Longstreth, who had always 
been h'ke an indulgent grandmother to her young 
nieces, and had made her home at Greenway a 
haven of rest and refreshment to them in every 
interval of work, took the warmest interest in the 
school from its first establishment, and instituted at 
once its chief annual holiday. The whole band of 
young girls were invited to spend a long May-day 
under her spreading trees, their parents joining 
them, if they so inclined, in the afternoon. To give 
additional point and interest to the day, a May- 
queen was chosen, with attendant maids of honor, 
who crowned the mimic sovereign with a chaplet 
of flowers, and invested her with the emblematic 
sceptre, accompanying the little pageant with poeti- 
cal addresses composed for the occasion. These 
May-day effusions, while intended simply to express 
the love and devotion of young school-girls to a 
favorite companion in smooth-flowing rhyme, had 
a great charm for impressible girls of sixteen, and 

39 



40 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



the white-robed procession, winding under the trees 
across " Aunt Susan's" lawn, the child Floras strew- 
ing flowers before the queen, was a sight dear to 
Miss Mary Anna's heart. Each young figure there 
had been an object of especial care to her, often of 
the most earnest solicitude, and whatever faults or 
deficiencies there had been to contend with, none 
were remembered on these red-letter days. 

Another pupil of this time, whose irrepressible 
spirits were the delight of the school, and the theme 
of many an amusing anecdote told long afterwards, 
thus gives her recollections of teachers, school, and 
May-parties : 

" When I first went to school I was but nine years 
old, therefore my recollections are very childish, 
though vivid, as to school details. I can never for- 
get Miss Mary Anna's kindness to me, or the loving 
fashion in which she tried to overcome my shyness ; 
for I was very shy, and very much frightened, partly, 
I think, because she had told my mother that I was 
so much younger than any pupil she then had that 
it would only be in case of my ability to keep up 
with the class that I should be allowed to stay. 
This fired my ambition of course, and I deter- 
mined I would study so hard that I should be per- 
mitted to stay. This resolution was strengthened 
when I found how dear and lovely my teachers 
were. I think it was a case of love at first sight, as 



SYMPATHY WITH CHILDHOOD. 



41 



I can recollect my enthusiastic description of the 
teachers, the school, etc., to my parents on my re- 
turn home the first day. I was so enchanted with 
the Friendly ' thee' and ' thou.' which was quite new 
to me, that I determined at once to adopt it as my 
own style of speech, a. proceeding which was sum- 
marily stopped by my father. From that day I have 
never swerved in my love and loyalty to both the 
dear sisters. I cannot separate them in my memory 
in any way, though loving them in different fashion. 
Playfulness was never reproved by them except when 
indulged in at improper times, and so truly did Miss 
Mary Anna understand the impossibility of repres- 
sion in a very active child, alive to any mischief, 
that her clear eyes would often twinkle with amuse- 
ment and with the effort to keep from laughing during 
a recitation. She would never be severe except when 
there was disobedience or underhand dealing of any 
sort. Clear and open as the day herself, she could 
not tolerate duplicity in others. If we did wrong, 
and openly acknowledged it, with any expression of 
penitence or promise of amendment, she would lov- 
ingly forgive us, often putting her arm around us 
and bestowing that most coveted of all gifts from 
her. a kiss of forgiveness. I believe there were very 
few of the girls who offended wilfully or refused the 
expression of regret for their disobedience. There 
was a wonderful frankness and freshness of feeling 
about her, — a brightness I think it might be called, — 
so that being in the same room with her seemed 
like being in the sunshine. 

4* 



^2 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" The May-days were the days of especial delight. 
Miss Mary Anna used to throw herself into the ar- 
rangements as heartily as the most enthusiastic of 
her pupils, and I think it was marvellous to see the 
entire absence of heart-burning or jealousy among 
the candidates for the honors of the day. Of course 
in so large a school there were usually two or three 
who were eligible for queen, many for maids of 
honor and pages, yet the voting was always pleasant, 
although exciting, and I never, in the six May-days 
in which I participated, remember any expression of 
feeling which would seem to show vexation of spirit. 
The lovely home at Greenway, with dear Aunt Susan 
always so glad to welcome the group of happy girls; 
the visit to Bartram's Garden, from which we 
came back to Greenway laden with flowers ; the 
making of the queen's crown and sceptre; Miss 
Mary Anna's bright, happy face everywhere radiant, 
always ready to listen, admire, and help, never flur- 
ried or vexed, is before me now. It was simply 
charming to be with her and near her. I remember 
when the first voting was talked of after I went to 
school, I was very near sending up my vote for Miss 
Mary Anna, only I was captured by an older girl 
and made to give up my cherished plan. I thought 
how lovely she would look with her crown of flowers, 
and felt almost too indignant at the disappointment 
to vote for any one else. Her love of flowers was 
beautiful to see. We had a white rose climbing over 
the west wall of the school, and near by a large bed 
of lilies of the valley, and I can see her now bending 



A FULL SCHOOL. 4^ 

down to pluck the lovely flowers. ... Of both these 
two dear friends it will be said, ' Their works do 
follow them.' How blessed was their influence can 
only be known hereafter. 

" H. T. C." 

In the season of 1844-45 ^'^^ ^'^1^ o^ business pros- 
perity had begun to turn, but the school of thirty 
pupils still required great personal exertion and much 
economy of management. Other far more wearing 
anxieties, from repeated illnesses in the family, added 
to the strain upon the sisters, and at times the burden 
seemed almost more than they could bear. Mary 
Anna, as responsible head of the school, was re- 
lieved as much as possible from all domestic care, 
but Susan, at once teacher, housekeeper, and nurse, 
could not easily find a deputy, and in a few months 
her overtaxed strength so gave way as to cause 
serious alarm. The rest and change of the summer 
vacation, however, restored both sisters to their usual 
health, and the following September found them once 
more full of fresh energy for their work. The school 
was now overflowing ; they had many more appli- 
cants than they could receive; and from this time 
forth their fears of inadequate numbers were at an 
end. They had earned a high reputation for consci- 
entious thoroughness, and many parents, in no way 
connected with the Society of Friends, were not sat- 



44 



MEMOIR OF AfARY ANNA LONGSTRETIL 



isfied until they had secured places for children not 
yet old enough to enter. They gradually increased 
the number admitted to something over forty, and 
could easily have doubled it had they thought best. 
In the years 1847-48 over a hundred applicants were 
necessarily refused. The actual work of instruction 
in the school-room was only part of the labor in- 
volved. In March, 1849, Mary Anna writes: 

" I have had an exceedingly busy .winter, the most 
laborious, I think, I have ever had. Twenty-two of 
our pupils are over sixteen years of age, and are 
capable of accomplishing a great amount of study 
and writing, so that their translations, exercises, 
etc, have given me a great deal of work at home. 
But I have been remarkably favored with health. 
It has been my best winter in that respect for 
years." 

" She actually enjoyed sitting down to look over a 
great pile of exercises," says Miss Susan, "and would 
hasten us up-stairs late in the evening that she might 
set to work at them." 

Twenty years of teaching had only intensified her 
interest in her work. Her spirit, mental or bodily, 
showed no sign of flagging; but Susan, on whom 
undoubtedly had fallen the heavier nervous strain, 
and whose home-cares were likely rather to increase 
than diminish, felt that her term of active service in 



DELIGHT IN WORK. 



45 



the school was near its close. The diary, a few weeks 
later, continues : 

"6/// mo. ^oth, 1849. — Twenty years of teaching 
have passed, — twenty years of happiness, and, I hum- 
bly hope, of some degree of usefulness. . . . This is 
the period during which, I have long hoped, my dear 
sister and myself might be permitted to labor unitedly, 
and my desire has been fulfilled. She will now rest 
from her conscientious, faithful, self-denying exer- 
tions, and many hearts bless her this day. Should my 
life and health be spared, it is my intention to continue 
my interesting and delightful task some time longer, 
without fixing any time at present. At one period 
of my life there was every prospect that I would be 
rich, the inheritor of a large fortune, but I can truly 
say I rejoice that such a prospect was not realized. 
. . . True, there have been many trials of patience, 
many crosses, some disappointments, much labor, 
many privations, but all have been richly compen- 
sated by the peace and happiness I have enjoyed, and 
the gratitude of our beloved pupils. 

" 9//^ mo. lOth. — School has opened very pleasantly, 
— never more so, — . . . and the dear girls seem not 
only pleased to return, but to be in the best disposition 
to do right. My two assistants, Anna W. Hinchman 
and Anna Shinn, are very exertive and satisfactory. 
I do feel lonely sometimes without my dear Susan, 
but there is not a doubt upon our minds that it is the 
right time for her to be released. . . . For myself, I 
have not a wish to be excused, but shall feel it a great 



46 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



privilege if I am favored with health and strength to 
continue my school for some years." 

The burden was lightened for her as far as could 
be possible. Susan, although she only appeared in 
the school-room to fill now and then' a temporary 
vacancy, was an essential aid to her sister at home. 
She still made out the fortnightly reports of lessons 
and conduct (no light task, certainly), examined and 
corrected exercises, etc., beside relieving Mary Anna 
of all care, even of her own wardrobe. The latter 
was in her element, and after nearly nine months of 
unshared responsibility, her health, even in the first 
debilitating heats of spring, was better than usual. 
"I do not remember," she writes in May, 1850, 
"that I have felt for many years as well and strong 
(at this season) as I do now." She had even escaped 
the sore throat which was generally the result of the 
incessant use of her voice during the winter. There 
was no leisure now for even an occasional entry in 
the journal, but a pencilled fragment laid between its 
leaves, and evidently belonging to the year 1851, 
gives no indication of flagging energies or over- 
wrought nerves. 

"To-day I am forty years old. How strange it 
seems to me! I do not feel more than twenty. My 
health has been very good this winter, with the 



FORTY YEARS OLDr 



47 



exception of a few colds, and my nervous system 
far stronger than it was some years ago. Forty 
years ! How old it seems, when my sympathies are 
warm with the dear ones round me who have not 
seen sixteen summers! If I were twenty years 
younger how gladly would I commence another term 
of twenty years' teaching ! I am not the least tired 
of my post, though sometimes I feel the confinement, 
which prevents me from passing more time with my 
friends, especially those advanced in age, and some- 
times I wish for more time to devote to my little 
nephews and niece. But I feel that I am in my right 
place, at least for the present." 

Four years of this kind of high pressure brought 
the inevitable reaction. For three years she finds no 
time even for her journal, and then the first record is 
one of spiritual discouragement. For several months 
she had been haunted by the idea that her Chris- 
tian faith was a delusion. She was "a cumberer of 
the ground," " a barren fig-tree." One needs little 
pathological insight to read between the lines the 
whole story, and to be glad that wise friends pro- 
moted that delightful rest and movement- cure com- 
bined, without its equal for overworked Americans, 
men or women, — a trip to Europe. 



CHAPTER IV. 



FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE. 



On June ii, 1853, accompanied by a party of rela- 
tives and friends, three of whom were to be their 
travelling companions, the sisters, Mary Anna and 
Susan, left for New York, and the next day embarked 
in the steamship Atlantic, whose agreeable and kind- 
hearted Captain West was ever afterwards one of 
the pleasantest memories of the voyage. That sifie 
qua non of an ocean trip in these days, a steamer- 
chair, seems to have been a luxury as yet unthought 
of, and the captain's buffalo-robe and great-coat were 
boons for which his favorites were always grateful. 
" Certainly we can never forget this buffalo-robe," 
writes Miss Susan; "it seems to be medicated. Every 
one who even puts her feet on it is comforted." 

Miss Mary Anna proved a capital sailor, enjoying 
every stage of these new experiences, and when the 
deck, on which the rest of the party spent most of 
their time, became too breezy for her, she would join 
an entertaining and congenial group of fellow-pas- 
sengers in the cabin, or write animated bulletins of 
48 



THE VOYAGE. ^g 

their progress to the family at home. The very first 
evening on shipboard she began the series of journal- 
letters continued throughout the trip, from which the 
following extracts are taken : 

" When the last waving was over, Mary W. said 
to us, ' Now we must be all the world to one an- 
other,' and I assure you we all felt disposed to cling 
together as closely as possible." 

The woes of sea-sickness soon overtook several 
members of the party, who in a few days, however, 
and with only occasional relapses, recovered all their 
wonted powers of enjoyment. 

" Nothing can exceed the captain's kindness to M. 
W., and indeed to all the invalids. This evening he 
took M. on deck, where he put her into his great- 
coat of huge dimensions. Elizabeth C, who is all 
life and gayety, is now her room-mate, and they enjoy 
each other's society. 

" We had an amusing time opening dear S. P. 
Morris's packages. Our curiosity had been con- 
siderably excited, and we made our circle try to 
guess the contents, which proved to be deliciously- 
preserved ginger in beautiful boxes, with an exqui- 
site note and verses. . . . 

" Our indulgent captain not only sends up buffalo- 
robes, but allows us to have cushions from the saloon 
for the accommodation of his especial protegees, who 

5 



CO MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

are snugly stowed away under a pile of shawls and 
cloaks, other invalids similarly wrapped in their own 
robes dotting the deck all over. 

"... The Morris party, from Baltimore, are de- 
lightful, — so are S. B. Lyon and his wife. Dr. D^la- 
field's wife is charming. Dr. Berrian and his wife, 
A. J. Bleecker and his wife, are very polite to us, and, 
as I also find the deck too breezy, I am much in their 
society. 

" i6///. — Though no icebergs are visible we are 
surrounded by ice-water. . . . The Spanish ladies 
seem to suffer greatly from the cold. The captain 
has had the large saloon heated for them, and there 
they lie nearly all day on the sofas, and their own 
embroidered pillows, under satin quilts, close to the 
heater. They have their own servants, — one family 
a steward, cook, nurse, etc. Some of the ladies are 
greatly amused by the indolence and helplessness 
of these Spanish signoras, whose maids absolutely 
put the food into their mistresses' mouths. The feel- 
ing of dislike to them was, however, quite lessened 
when one of these same dames sent a handsome 
sum toward the fund for the orphan children of sea- 
men. 

" We experience the greatest kindness from our 
fellow-passengers, even from those who were entire 
strangers to us. Mme. Le Vert, daughter of Colonel 
Walton (ex-governor of Florida), related some beau- 
tiful legends of the Indians, — the Cherokee rose, 
Tallahassee, the land of beauty, and that of Ala- 
bama. A tribe of Indians, who fled from their relent- 



■J TIE CAPTAIN'S DINNER. 



51 



less foes to the trackless forests of the Southwest, 
weary and travel-worn, reached a noble river, which 
flowed through a beautiful country. The chief stuck 
his tent-pole in the ground, and exclaimed, ' Ala- 
bama ! Alabama ! — Here we rest !' The old chief 
who told her these legends in her childhood used to 
call her the White Dove of Peace. 

" 6//^ mo. 2\st. — We saw last evening the light- 
houses on Fastness Rock and Cape Clear, and this 
morning the beautiful Tuskar light was the first 
object that presented itself The sea is of a peculiar 
light green, every wave transparent. There is all 
over the ship an unsettlement, an excitement, that 
betokens this to be the last day on board. Mary W. 
and I have been watching the sailors drawing up the 
huge chains attached to the anchor, and kept in the 
hold during the voyage ; their rough voices sounded 
quite musical as they walked with measured steps 
around the windlass and kept time with their songs. 
We could not make out much of what they said, but 
they looked happy. Then M. C. K. and I sat alone 
for a while at the bow, enjoying the beautiful sea and 
perfect quietness of feeling amid the unrest of the 
waves." 

The captain's dinner, with its epigrammatic pun- 
ning toasts, on the eve of landing, fills a lively page 
of the diary: 

" ' Our ladies.' Their fair faces and gentle man- 
ners entitle them to a general passport. When once 



C2 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

vised, may foreign customs do no injury to their native 
liabits. 

" ' The ladies of the Atlantic' The true mermaids, 
who beguile time and not sailors. 

" ' Our humble friends, the waiters of the ship.' To 
their diligence, civility, and unceasing exertions we 
are indebted for much of our comfort on the voyage. 
May our liberality more than crotvn their labors, if it 
do not effect for them a sovereign cure. 

" ' Our visit East,' painful only as it separates us 
from our favorite West. 

" Without drinking the champagne, we entered 
into the spirit of the affair and enjoyed it, having a 
private toast to Susy's good friend, the buffalo-robe. 

" After dinner everybody was packing up and 
collecting shawls, baskets, and little appendages; the 
great packing had been finished in the morning. 
By 8 P.M. we were in the fog and smoke of Liver- 
pool, though some miles from it. All day, while 
sailing up St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea, 
we had our American sunshine and blue sky. Oh, 
how delightful it was ! . . . And this is the old 
world ! . . . The Mersey is here a wide, noble- 
looking stream, and Birkenhead, how beautiful it is 
with its green banks ! But everything has a more 
foreign air than we expected. Now the mail-boat 
comes alongside. G. G. Gray, bearer of despatches, 
and a few other privileged ones, go off and steam 
rapidly to Liverpool. This gentleman takes with 
him the names of twenty or thirty of our passengers 
to secure rooms for us at the Adelphi Hotel. . . . But 



ENGLISH FRIENDS. 



53 



what a gloomy aspect this great city presents as we 
approach it! A vast pall of black smoke hangs over 
it, and the fog is so dense that it feels like rain. . . . 
Sad, lonely thoughts are stealing over us, when we 
perceive two friendly-looking persons making their 
way towards us. They were no others than Francis 
Thompson and Benjamin Seebohm. You may read- 
ily imagine how grateful it was to us to see them and 
receive their warm welcome to old England. Cousins 
S. and S. T. had been on the wharf more than two 
hours waiting for us, but when ten o'clock came and 
we did not arrive, they were obliged to return home 
disappointed. Cousin F. T. invited us two at once 
to his house, but we thoucrht it best to po to the 
Adelphi Hotel with our friends. 

22c/. — Most of the friends we made on shipboard 
are with us at the Adelphi. We have two parlors, 
which communicate, and at their request we all 
breakfasted together. Soon afterwards our kind 
cousins, Francis Thompson and his daughter S., 
called, and engaged us all to dine with them at 
Holland Terrace. Benjamin Seebohm also made 
us a long and very pleasant visit. Then Captain 
West and several of our gentlemen passengers called. 
One of the latter sent to the ladies collectively a 
basket of superb fruit, — peaches of great beauty and 
very fragrant, black Hamburg grapes, cherries, and 
strawberries, — and a large basket of equally fine 
fruit to Elizabeth C. How delicious the grapes are! 
The morning flew by rapidly in conversation with 
our friends. The sun came out brilliantly about 1 1 

5* 



54 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

A.M., and on remarking this to Captain West, he 
playfully replied that he had opened the hatches of 
his vessel at that time and let out some American 
sun.shine." 

The friends with whom they were to dine on this 
their first day in England had been guests of nearly 
every member of the party in America, and it was a 
time of close and most affectionate intercourse. 

" The visit was everything we could ask or desire," 
writes M. A. ; "it was heavenly. . . . After dinner we 
took a delightful walk through Edge Lane to the 
Botanic Garden. Our friends at the hotel almost 
envy our enjoyment in finding old friends in Eng- 
land; some of them had just returned from a drive 
in a four-horse barouche, with postilions. They 
ordered tea in our parlor, and when the candles were 
brought, looked to see if it was too late to call at the 
Waterloo, but found it was nearly lo^ p.m. The 
days are so long in this high latitude. The weather 
is warm, almost sultry." 

Another pleasant visit from Captain West, two 
more baskets of choice fruit for " Miss C. and the 
ladies," and then the large and friendly steamer- 
party broke up. Some were starting for Scotland, 
Wales, or the Continent; M. A. L. and her sister, 
with their travelling companions, for a visit to the 
north of England. 



AN ENGLISH HOME. 



55 



"As B. Seebohm has been so kind as to come for 
us all the way from Bradford, we think it best to 
defer our intended visit to Chester, and even to give 
up seeing Liverpool for the present, in order to go 
home with him. We went to meeting, and oh, how 
I wish I could give you an impression of the delight- 
ful sermon he preached ! I heard many excellent ser- 
mons from him in America, but this one surpassed 
them all in sweetness, depth, and power." 

The weather continued warm and sultry, and a 
railroad-ride through the unpicturesque and smoky 
districts of manufacturing England was not favorable 
to first impressions, but even here they found some- 
thing to admire and enjoy. 

Bradford itself was unattractive, but not so the 
little domestic interior to which they were now wel- 
comed. The doors of many a beautiful English 
home were opened wide for the sisters during their 
stay in the island, but they write of none with more 
entire enjoyment and appreciation than this. The 
simpler mode of life, made necessary by a recent 
change of circumstances, had not narrowed the hearts 
of the occupants or lessened the refinement of their 
hospitality, and it certainly brought out more strongly 
the nobility and sweetness of character and beauty of 
life which made the ministry of Benjamin Seebohm 
so doubly persuasive. 



56 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" 6tJi 1)10. 2r\th. — At 3 P.M. we set off in the cars to 
visit the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, dear E. Seebohm 
and three of her children going with us. A 'io.v^ miles 
on the railway between Bradford and Leeds brought 
us within sight of the ruins. We stopped at a little 
bridge that gracefully spans the Aire, and after a 
short walk found ourselves at the great door of the 
ancient Abbey church. Most of the roof had fallen 
in long ago, but the walls and lofty pillars still stand, 
a monument of its former grandeur. We were awe- 
struck- as we walked up the nave, and through the 
choir and transepts, and could almost fancy we heard 
the chanting of the old monks echoing from the 
remnants of the vaulted roof The rest of the mon- 
astery is a mass of shapeless ruins, but we could trace 
the different parts of the building, now venerably gray 
and mantled with ivy, and it was delightful to linger 
among these mouldering records of by-gone days, — 
more beautiful, perhaps, in decay and desolation than 
in the pomp and pride of monastic power. Noble 
elms and other trees of larger size are growing in the 
quadrangle, the refectory, and other parts of the build- 
ing south of the cloister, and their drooping branches 
overhang the broken arches and fallen columns of 
what was formerly the abbot's lordly home. A lawn 
of the brightest green slopes gradually from the ruins 
to the river Aire, which glides gently through fertile 
meadows, and beyond the Abbey the ground rises 
into high and extensive woodland. The afternoon 
was bright and beautiful, and the glow over the land- 
scape from the western sky reminded me of some pe- 



RUSTIC BRIDEGROOMS. 



57 



culiarly lovely sunsets in our own dear country. Kirk- 
stall Abbey was founded in the twelfth century by a 
body of Cistercian monks, and is considered the third, 
if not the second, in England in point of picturesque 
beauty. Being the first we have visited, we have 
probably enjoyed it more than we shall any other. 
The little inn ' Hark-to-Rover' close by was, a cen- 
tury ago, the haunt of highwaymen and poachers, 
and the Abbey was the scene of the tragical event 
narrated in Southey's poem, 'The Maid of the Inn.'" 

Invitations from other valued friends, who had also 
been pleasant guests of the party in America, next 
took them to Darlington via Leeds, and that choicest 
bit of Northeastern England, Studley Park and 
Fountains Abbey. The manufacturing industries of 
Leeds and its associations with Wilberforce and Lord 
Brougham alike had interest for them, and a little 
incident in the parish church, where they dropped in 
while waiting for a train, gave a glimpse of Yorkshire 
peasant-life which amused them. 

"We intended," writes M. A., " only to look at the 
exterior of the church, but the beadle beckoned us 
in, and there we saw four couples waiting for the cu- 
rate to marry them. He came directly, and we saw 
them all joined in wedlock. The Yorkshire-men 
were apparently either much confused or excessively 
ignorant, for they did not even know how to get mar- 
ried, and the beadle found it necessarv to direct them. 



58 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRRTH. 

When one was asked if he took Mary Ann to be his 
wedded wife, and if he would cherish, love her, etc., 
he remained mute till the beadle told him, ' Say " I 
will";' then the poor man recollected himself, and to 
our great amusement responded most heartily, ' ///- 
deed, I will !' We suspected that the worldly goods 
with which the newly-made wives were endowed 
amounted to very little." 

The ride to Ripon lay through a characteristic 
English landscape, every detail of which was full of 
charm and interest. The rich verdure of hill and 
dale, so grateful to eyes accustomed to the frequent 
droughts of our American summers, the hedgerows, 
the red-roofed cottages with their luxuriant drapery 
of creepers and roses, made a flying succession of 
pictures that hold their own in one's memory, even 
beside the contrasting grandeurs of Switzerland. The 
American party, so full of enjoyment and animation, 
were themselves evidently part of the pleasure, and 
no doubt the greatest novelty of the trip to two Eng- 
lish friends — a lady and gentleman — in the same 
compartment. 

" They told us they were staying at Harrogate, 
and were going for a day's pleasure to see Fountains 
Abbey and the Cathedral at Ripon. Our object 
being the same, we all formed one party, and we 
found them very pleasant companions. At Ripon 



STUD LEY PARK. 



59 



we drove to the Crown and Anchor, a good speci- 
men of a comfortable EngHsh inn, and a vener- 
able one too. We entered by a paved side court, 
and were shown into a parlor hung with paintings 
and engravings. Two large bow-windows draped 
with white curtains looked out upon a market-square, 
in the centre of which is the stone cross erected by 
Wm. Aislabie, who represented the borough for sixty 
years. Having ordered breakfast, we went out to 
look at the cross, purchase some prints, etc., and 
on our return found a substantial meal, breakfast and 
dinner combined, — excellent coffee and cream, cold 
fowl, hot bacon, eggs, sweetmeats, muffins, etc., — a 
true English bill of fare." 

Fortified by these creature comforts, every sense 
was at its best for the enjoyment of the choicer 
feast that awaited them. A drive of three miles 
brought them to Studley Park. 

" What can I say to give you the slightest idea of 
Studley, with its magnificent deer-park of four hun- 
dred acres, its avenue of limes a mile in length, its 
noble beeches, its Norway firs, . . . and above all the 
view of the Abbey from Anne Boleyn's Seat ? . . . 
Studley Park was made what it is now by John 
Aislabie, who raised himself from the rank of a 
country gentleman to be Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer, and his son spent the leisure hours of a 
long life in maintaining and extending his father's 



6o MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

improvements. He purchased the adjacent land with 
the ruins of Fountains Abbey, and the two estates 
united form a combination of beauties that I should 
think cannot be surpassed in the kingdom." 

Here follows a detailed description of the walk 
which led them, through every variety of natural 
beauty, — not always enhanced by art, — to the famous 
ruins. These, too, are enjoyed to the full and care- 
fully described. The day had been a memorable 
one, yet Fountains, with all the loveliness of its 
accessories and surroundings, does not, in their esti- 
mation, equal that first fresh impression of Kirkstall, 
where nature, untamed by antiquarian " restorers," 
had taken exclusive possession, — not only draping 
the walls, but arching a lofty roof with beams and 
tracery of her own. 

Harrogate with its many attractions, not least 
among them Bolton Priory, was within easy reach, 
but time was limited and rest imperative. Late in 
the evening they were glad to reach Darlington, 
where their friend, John Pease, was waiting with his 
carriage to welcome them to another hospitable 
English home, — to a series of homes in fact, for, 
besides John Pease's venerable father, Edward Pease, 
many relatives of the large Gurney family were in 
the neighborhood, and with these the long and 



YORK MINSTER. 5 1 

intimate friendship with Mrs. J. J. Gurney in America 
had ah'eady estabhshed a bond of warm interest.* 

Perhaps these intervals in the crowded weeks of 
travel and sight-seeing were the happiest parts of their 
English stay, and the sisters, always eager to share 
their pleasures with the sympathetic group at home, 
write of the family-life of their kind entertainers, and 
their harmonious relations with children, neighbors, 
and dependents, with a vividness of enjoyment that 
leaves but a second place to the most picturesque 
ruined abbey in the land. Even were it allowable, 
however, to lift the curtain from these pleasant 
domestic scenes, the limits of this little memoir 
would allow but a glance at them. 

At York, with but an hour to give to the great 
Minster, they rose at once to "the height of its great 
argument." " It seemed to fill our sense of the 
glorious and beautiful in art. We wanted our minds 
to expand greatly in order to embrace, comprehend, 
and enjoy fully its vastness and magnificence." 

Some mental effort in an opposite direction must 
have been needed for the microscopic wonders of 
Rodgers' show-rooms at Sheffield, where they next 
stopped en route for Chatsworth, seeing among other 
marvels of cutlery " the famous penknife, with eigh- 

* Mrs. J. J. Gurney's own English residence was in Norfolk, to 
which they paid a visit a few days later. 

6 



62 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

teen hundred and fifty-one blades, and twelve pairs 
of perfect scissors, all together weighing only half a 
grain." 

A charming drive in an open barouche from Shef- 
field, under a lovely English sky of soft clouds and 
distant gleams of sunshine, took them to the sump- 
tuous palace and grounds of the Duke of Devonshire. 

" Once among the Derbyshire hills, grandeur took 
the place of gentle beauty ; the road wound over and 
between hills sprinkled with large patches of brown 
heather, — a novel sight to us. We travelled for miles 
through the hunting-grounds of the Duke of Rut- 
land, breathing a pure, invigorating air, and enjoying 
the wildness of the landscape and the excellence of 
the macadamized road. What capital roads there are 
here, — all good ! . . . The bare, rugged, and lofty 
hills of East Moor formed the best possible introduc- 
tion to the cultivated beauty of Chatsworth." 

After the noble scenery of the Moor, the mere pret- 
tiness of artificial cascades, etc., were tame indeed, but 
the great deer-park, the flower-gardens, the orangery, 
etc., delighted them, and when they reached the 
grand conservatory, the most magnificent in Europe, 
under its mountain of glass, then "admiration knew 
no bounds. . . . We were in a tropical climate of 
heat and moisture, surrounded by palms, bananas, 
Norfolk Island pines, etc., all growing in the greatest 



CI/ATS WORTH. 



63 



luxuriance. Such is the variety, number, and size of 
these plants, the immense area they occupy, the ex- 
treme loftiness and airiness of the glass domes which 
canopy them over, admitting such an effulgence of 
light on all sides, from the horizon to the zenith, 
that the visitor might fancy himself transplanted to 
their native home and walking through an Indian 
grove." 

Five closely-written pages of the diary are given 
to the description of this great ducal establishment, 
— its magnificent halls and staircases adorned with 
paintings and gems of art ; its pictures, carvings, 
statues, etc., — until, like children reading the "Arab- 
ian Nights," we grow so familiar with splendors 
that nothing can astonish us. 

At last, at the end of a long gallery, our friends 
catch a glimpse through a great window of the 
castle park, with its soft uplands, noble trees, and 
herds of deer, its shaven velvet lawns, its winding 
walks, its fountains, lakes, and groves; and turning 
their eyes away from all the interior magnificence, 
they rest them on the loveliness without. But the 
guide is relentless : " Ladies ! this way to the state 
apartments !" and obediently they follow on through 
a long succession of fresh splendors, — Gobelin tap- 
estries, inlaid floors, carved door-ways, coronation- 
chairs, and full-length portraits of sovereigns in 



64 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

coronation-robes, the gifts of many a royal and im- 
perial guest. Three hours spent in this way after 
an early morning of sight-seeing, followed by a long 
drive, however delightful, was indeed " pushing 
pleasure to the verge of pain," and they still had to 
walk to the inn before they could rest. "At the 
last," says Miss M. A., " it was pretty dragging 
work, but after a good dinner we felt so refreshed 
that we drove at once to Haddon Hall, where we 
were so much interested that I heard nothing more 
said about fatigue until the next day." 

A Western millionnaire might perhaps create a 
second Chatsworth, but Haddon Hall is siii generis, 
and can never be cheapened by reproduction or 
imitation. The Friendly gray bonnets passed under 
its ancient gateway into an atmosphere of medieval 
romance, in which weariness was forgotten. " It 
carried us back four hundred years ; . . . everything 
about it impressed us most deeply," from the chapel 
used before the discovery of America, with its Saxon 
pillars, rude pulpit, and chaplain's room, no larger 
than a pantry, but crowded, nevertheless, with 
" huge medieval boots, pewter dishes, etc., large 
enough for giants," to the ghost-haunted banquet- 
ing-hall and ball-room, while a shadowy Lady Dor- 
othy Vernon stole down the little stairway and 
along the terrace to meet her lover at the postern- 



HADDON BALL. 



65 



gate, and invest even the name of a modern post- 
master-general with romance. 

" We could hardly tear ourselves away," wrote 
Miss Mary Anna, but railway-trains are not indul- 
gent, so stopping at the last moment to look at the 
united crests of the houses of Vernon and Manners, 
a boar's head and peacock's tail, each cut in box, 
they drove to the station, with many backward 
glances at the beautiful dale in which the old house 
stands, and memories that were to last a lifetime. 

The party would gladly have lingered among the 
Derbyshire hills. " Matlock looked so inviting, the 
air was so reviving, so like Berkshire, that we could 
hardly pass on." They smiled at their own " un- 
reasonableness in wishing to lengthen the days, 
already so long there is not darkness enough to 
sleep by," but engagements elsewhere hurried them 
away, and even Warwick and Kenilworth had to be 
deferred. 

July 5th was marked by memorable visits to 
Wyndcliffe, Tintern Abbey, and Chepstow Castle. 
The view from Wyndcliffe, nine hundred feet above 
the Wye, delighted them ; Moss Cottage, at its foot, 
was enchanting. All this they could hardly bear to 
leave even for Tintern ; but once at the old Abbey, — 

" We wanted nothing more for this day, and for 
6* 



66 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

more than two hours we wandered through and round 
and over these exquisite ruins, thought to exceed 
in beauty all others either in England or Wales. . . . 
There was neither the solemn, almost gloomy ap- 
pearance of antiquity that impressed us at Kirkstall, 
nor the vastness and magnificence of Fountains 
Abbey, but a soft and gentle beauty that was rest- 
ing to the spirit. We felt as if we could never weary 
of its surpassing loveliness. . . . Among the tombs, 
with rude carvings and black-letter inscriptions, is 
one carved with a group of three fishes, the letters 
of the Greek word <.yOo:i forming the initials of the 
most important of the titles of our blessed Lord : 

Irjffouq ^pcaro'- ffsao }\o^j ZcoTTjp. 

" Our drive back to Chepstow was delightful. 
M. W. enjoyed the views from her elevated seat on 
the front box. . . . She had been requested to look 
out for a pleasant, shady spot where we might eat 
the lunch for which we had been far too busy at 
Tintern, but for which we now began to feel a keen 
appetite. She soon found a nook overhung by the 
branches of a wide-spreading tree, and there, sur- 
rounded by rural beauty, we enjoyed our simple repast. 
The moisture of the climate produces an exuberance 
of vegetation that we have never seen in our own 
country. You cannot form an idea of the luxuriance 
of the ivy ; hill-sides covered with it, the trunks of 
the forest-trees, walls, ruins, all covered with its grace- 
ful, glossy foliage. . . . And the daisies, sprinkled over 
the soft verdure of the closely-shaven lawns, the pink 



VISITS. 



67 



foxgloves and snapdragons, and other delicate or 
bright pink flowers, may we never forget them." 

At Liskeard, in Cornwall, they paid a pleasant 
visit to their friend John Allen and his family, Bar- 
clay Fox, brother of the Caroline Fox whose charm- 
ing memories of her delightful family and friends 
have since been published, coming from Falmouth 
to meet them. While here they were taken to see a 
copper-mine, which interested them. Some of the 
party afterwards took a walk to the " Cheesewring," 
a natural pile of rocks, near which were some sup- 
posed Druidical remains. Among them a group of 
stones formed a small cave, in which one " Daniel 
Gumms, disgusted with the taxes required in towns, 
lived with his wife and eleven children." The walk 
proving rather long, " M. W. espied a donkey driven 
by two boys, who readily consented to give us a 
ride. We all mounted in turn, and had a great deal 
of amusement. The boys, though rough, were good- 
natured, and wonderfully pleased with having Amer- 
ican ladies ride on their pet Isaac, — a really well- 
trained and good-tempered donkey, but so small 
that our feet nearly touched the ground. He was 
not very fleet, and one of the boys led him while 
the other applied the lash. Mary was so delighted 
that she wrote the next day to her father for per- 



68 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

mission to take home a donkey for the use of her 
Httle sisters. These animals are very cheap in Corn- 
wall, the price varying from two shillings and six- 
pence to fifteen shillings. Our new acquaintances 
gave but half a crown for Isaac." 

On July 9th they left Plymouth for London, and 
from the Paddington Station went direct to Totten- 
ham to spend a few days with their friends, J. and 
R. Forster. "Their sister Anne," writes M. A. L , 
" my correspondent for years, though until now per- 
sonally unknown to me, came to us glowing with 
affection and kindness. She was lovely in appear- 
ance." Wm. E. Forster, M.P., since so conspicuous a 
figure in English politics and philanthropy, with his 
lovely wife and her sister, daughters of the late Dr. 
Arnold, also arrived during their stay, and added to 
its interest. 

"After breakfast on the 12th our kind friend J. 
Forster accompanied us back to London, and took 
us to Wm. Hughes's, where we were to receive 
by appointment a call from Samuel Gurney. His 
noble bearing and benevolent countenance were very 
.striking. He met us most kindly, with almost a 
paternal welcome, and invited us to dine with him 
next day in company with the Chevalier Bunsen ; but 
a later day suiting our plans better, he permitted us 
to choose our own time for visiting him. . . . Our 



WINDSOR AMD THE QUEEN. gg 

next business was to go to the banker's, and to decide 
about our courier. We had the choice of two, Joseph 
Salerno and Maurice Breitschmidt, and the latter 
being prepossessing in appearance and strongly rec- 
ommended by Alfred Backhouse, who, in fact, had 
secured his services for us, A. M. K. decided to 
take him. 

" ytli via. \2th. — This day was to be given to Wind- 
sor. We had no expectation of seeing the Queen, 
though we much desired a sight of her Majesty, 
whom we hear everywhere spoken of as a good, pru- 
dent mother, as well as an excellent sovereign. Many 
of her own subjects who live in London have never 
seen her, but we were fortunate. On arriving at the 
Windsor Station we noticed the red flag, which indi- 
cates her presence, floating from the castle, and found 
two royal cars waiting to convey her to London. We 
had a good opportunity of inspecting them. They 
were elegant, but not gorgeous, of a dark garnet 
color, and lined with rich brocade. Bouquets of 
flowers were on the centre-tables. Being told that if 
we would wait twenty minutes we should see the 
Queen, we embraced the opportunity. She had given 
orders to be strictly incognita ; but a few like our- 
selves had heard that she was coming and waited 
with us, as near as possible to the door of the station- 
house. Punctually at the hour the gates of the park 
flew open and two barouches dashed forward, each 
drawn by four white horses, each pair of which was 
driven by a postilion ; two Lords or Honorables at- 
tended on horseback. The Queen and a lady-in- 



70 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



waiting occupied the first carriage, and the Prince of 
Wales and his tutor the other. They alighted near 
where we were standing, and we had a capital view 
of the Queen. She wore a thin white dress, with a 
white crape bonnet and blue silk shawl. Her face 
expressed amiability and good sense. As the ba- 
rouches crossed the road a poor Italian was passing, 
carrying on his head a collection of bronzed statu- 
ettes. The Prince took a fancy to them and spoke 
to his mother, who ordered the man to be called. 
The Prince selected four of the figures, for which the 
Queen paid the Italian a sovereign — more than double 
the price he asked — and presented him with a rose. 
He was of course highly delighted, and put the rose 
in the front of his cap, where we saw it in the latter 
part of the day. 

"The Queen and her suite then went on to Lon- 
don, the Prince to drive, and we, after taking a lunch, 
set out to see the Castle, which has been a royal resi- 
dence for seven hundred and fifty years." 

A few days later they left London for Norwich, a 
place of peculiar interest to them, not only as the 
home for many years of their dear and valued friend, 
Mrs. J. J. Gurney, but from its association with her 
sister-in-law, Mrs. Fry, and many other gifted and 
interesting members of the Gurney family. The 
sisters were already familiar with the aspect of Earl- 
ham and its various neighboring homes through the 
spirited drawings of Mrs. Cunningham {iiee Richenda 



MRS. OPIE. 



71 



Gurney), and every detail had a charm for them. The 
venerable homestead itself was full of family relics, 
many of which they had heard of, and almost every 
nook and corner had its association with some revered 
and cherished name. Many of the servants at the 
time of the American Mrs. Gurney 's residence were 
still in the service of the family, and their eager in- 
quiries after their old mistress and respectful mes- 
sages of " duty" and affection as they pointed out 
her favorite haunts, were not forgotten in the long 
letter written to her by the sisters before they left the 
familiar ground. 

One of the incidents related in this letter is a call 
on Mrs. Opie, a name familiar to the literary world 
of the last generation. 

" Wm. Forster had kindly apprised Amelia Opie 
of our intention to call. She is so lame that she is 
obliged to sit mostly on a couch, but she is the most 
queenly-looking elderly person I ever saw." 

On returning to London they paid a visit, already 
arranged, to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gurney. 

" S. and I drove to Plaistow Meeting, where we 
found our friend and his family waiting for us. They 
took us directly into the meeting-house, where Sam- 
uel Gurney and his wife sat at the head of the gal- 
lery, side by side. It was interesting to remember 



72 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



that ill this very house the sweet voice of his sister, 
Elizabeth Fry, had often arisen in prayer and praise. 
. . . After meeting we drove with them to their de- 
lightful home. Ham House, and were introduced to 
their eldest daughter, Sarah Gurney, and her sister, 
Elizabeth de Bunsen,* with her lovely group of chil- 
dren. . . , S. G. then proposed a walk, and took us 
through his beautiful grounds to Upton Lane, the 
last earthly home of Elizabeth Fry." 

Here, as at so many other noteworthy places in 
the course of their English trip, the weather was per- 
fect. Miss M. A. speaks especially of the beauty of 
the late afternoon upon the lawn and of the early 
morning, as they looked out of their chamber window 
and saw their host, a man of noble and distinguished 
bearing, walking about his grounds leaning upon the 
arm of his son. Everything combined to make this 
little visit to Ham House an especial pleasure. After 
breakfast, June i8th, Mr. Gurney drove them back to 
London, where they were that day to have admis- 
sion, through his influence, to the houses of Parlia- 
ment, then in session. 

"At twelve o'clock our whole party repaired to 
Westminster Hall, where we were met by James Bell, 

* Ernest de Bunsen, a son of the Chevalier B., had married a 
daughter of Mr. S. Gurney. 



HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. j-y 

M. P., who very politely attended us. In passing 
from hall to hall we saw a great many of the members 
and their friends, in small groups, engaged in earnest 
conversation. We were taken first into the gallery 
overlooking the room occupied by the House of 
Commons, the walls of which are lined with oak, 
richly carved ; the windows are of stained glass. 
But the gallery for visitors is very small and screened 
by a lattice, which interfered with our hearing and see- 
ing. The Speaker in his peculiar dress and wig ; the 
messenger from the Lords in his costume, bowing 
deferentially to the Commons, and after delivering 
his message walking backwards, bowing, until he 
reached the door ; and the perfect freedom of speech 
under this monarchical government, surprised us not 
a little. The subject of the debate was quite inter- 
esting. John Bright was one of the speakers, and if 
time had permitted we could have listened to the 
proceedings for hours. ... In threading our way to 
the House of Lords through halls and passages, the 
mention of Lord Augustus Clifford's name opened 
every door to us instantly, until we found ourselves 
in the presence of the nobles of the land. The Earl 
of Aberdeen, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Duke of 
Argyle, and Lord Monteagle took part in the dis- 
cussion, but there were many in both Houses who 
were evidently not listening. It is said they prefer 
reading the accounts of the debates in the morning 
papers. The House of Lords is furnished and dec- 
orated in a most gorgeous style, with richly gilt 
mouldings, emblazoning of arms, paintings, and 

7 



74 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

stained-glass windows. The House of Commons is 
more plainly furnished, but we thought it more 
beautiful. 

" The evening was spent at Mme. Tussaud's. Ex- 
hibitions of this kind we have never had a desire to 
see, but this one is well worthy of a visit, being in- 
forming as well as entertaining, and faithfully repre- 
senting many distinguished persons. The dresses 
had many of them been worn by the individuals 
themselves. Among royal personages were Henry 
Vni. and his six wives, Queen Victoria, Prince 
Albert, and their children, the present Emperor and 
Empress of France, Queens Mary and Elizabeth, and 
Mary, Queen of Scots, the Emperors of Russia and 
Austria, Cardinal Wolsey, Oliver Cromwell, Napo- 
leon, etc. Wm. Cobbett, sitting with a gold snuff- 
box in one hand, was so very life-like that I was 
quite deceived, and asked his pardon for treading on 
his toes. We became at last quite puzzled in walk- 
ing among the figures and the visitors, to know 
which were the true and which the false," 

A visit to Hampton Court occupied part of the 
last day in London. 

"We had expected the other members of our party 
to join us at Hampton Court, but they found too 
much to be done on this last day in England, and 
sent in their stead our newly-engaged courier." 

The sisters spent a long afternoon at the old pal- 



HAMPTON COURT. 



75 



ace, inspecting it in every part, and recording in the 
home journal not only their impressions of its archi- 
tecture, within and without, its paintings, its old 
curiosities, its stiff, yet stately grounds, labyrinth, 
etc., but a summary of its eventful history. 

" We were glad of our courier's protection while re- 
turning in the steamboat," Miss M. A. continues, "and 
had a charming sail down the Thames in the long 
rosy twilight, past Richmond, Kew, Battersea, Vaux- 
hall, Westminster," etc., every name historic and 
picturesque. They found entertainment in the sight 
of the middle-class British public taking its diversion 
in the throng of pleasure-boats, and especially enjoyed 
the great number of stately swans, one hundred at 
one point, sailing leisurely and gracefully down the 
stream. 



" 2Q)th. — It was with no slight satisfaction to us 
all that trunks, boxes, bundles of shawls, and all 
the et caetera were handed over to the care of our 
courier, Maurice Breitschmidt, and that without any 
thought for these most important needfuls we could 
give ourselves up to the enjoyment of the present 
scene and pleasurable anticipations of the future. At 
the station we added to our stock of guide-books, 
and were soon whirled away from London in the 
express-train for Dover, passing through a beautifully - 
cultivated country, and then over the Downs, cropped 



76 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



by many a flock of nibbling sheep. We are delighted 
with the sheep in England, they are so white. It is 
not a poetical license to say they ' whiten all the 
plain.* They do. 

" At Dover there was only time to glance at its 
white cliffs, get a piece of flint imbedded in chalk, 
and catch a distant view of the Castle. At eleven we 
hurried on board the steamer that was to convey us 
to ' La Belle France.' True, we were leaving more 
beautiful England, and many loved and truly kind 
friends, but with a vision of the Alps before us, could 
we do otherwise than cry Excelsior? 

" With this day of bright sunshine, as bright as in 
America, ends the first portion of our tour." 



CHAPTER V. 

THE RHINE AND SWITZERLAND, 

'^ Dover, Calais, Glicnt, jtli mo. 20tJi, 1853." — So be- 
gins the first letter to mother and aunt on foreign soil 
outlining the first day of travel. The Channel passage 
had been exceptionally smooth. 

" I enjoyed it greatly. Even dear S. suffered very 
little. The sea-breeze was delightful and so exhila- 
rating! . . . When we stepped on shore how strange 
everything looked ! We went first to the custom- 
house, but as we were going immediately to Belgium, 
it was not necessary to examine our trunks. Breit- 
schmidt knows everything that is to be done, and 
how to do it. You cannot think how delightful it is 
to travel with such a person. 

" Calais, with its wall, and odd houses, and women 
wearing caps in the street without bonnets, does look 
very different from America or England. At the 
hotel beauty and taste were everywhere visible in the 
most minute arrangements. Its neat court-yard was 
beautiful with flowers, and from it we passed into a 
large and quite elegant garden. 

" On the way to Ghent by rail we found the coun- 
try as different from what we had seen as Calais was 

7* 77 



78 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



unlike the towns. No fences as in America ; no 
hedges as in England, except very rarely, to adorn 
villas, etc. ; no umbrageous trees almost sweeping 
the ground with their long pendent branches, but 
quite sparse, and arranged in long lines as stiff as 
possible, — never a tree or clump of trees in a field. 
We arrived at Ghent, or Gand, at eight o'clock, and 
went to a capital hotel, facing a public square, ' La 
Place d'Armes,' upon which the balcony of our par- 
lor opened. 

"7/// mo. 2\st. — This was a grand fete day in Bel- 
gium, the twenty-second anniversary of the accession 
of Leopold. Saw a procession of soldiers on their 
way to the Cathedral, where there is to be a Te 
Deum at 11 a.m. It was a fine thing for us to see 
the Cathedral prepared for this great occasion. The 
numerous chapels, with their gates of brass-work, 
statues, paintings, etc., delighted us. One of the 
most famous of the latter is Van Eyk's Adoration 
of the Lamb, containing more than three hundred 
heads, all finished with miniature accuracy; but we 
thought it more curious than beautiful. Its coloring 
is superb, as fresh and bright as if finished yesterday, 
though four hundred years old. There were several 
other fine paintings which even our unpractised eyes 
appreciated. ' Ah,' we exclaimed, ' we never saw 
paintings till now !' And indeed the whole scene of 
the high altar, the exquisite carved wood-work, the 
burning candles, etc., was so interesting that we did 
wish for a whole day in Ghent. The eoniniissionaire 
engaged by Breitschmidt was so expeditious, how- 



ANTWERP AND BRUSSELS. 



79 



ever, that we had time after leaving the chapels — at 
which we cast many longing, lingering looks behind 
— to drive round the city, market-places, etc. 

" As we crossed the Scheldt in the steamboat, we 
had a good view of Antwerp ; its Cathedral was in 
full sight, and saluted our ears with its silvery chime 
of eighty-five bells. They ring every quarter of an 
hour, and the music is very pleasing, though I 
thought it had not quite the merry, joyous burst of 
the York Minster peal, which welcomed us to York 
on the anniversary of Victoria's coronation : but the 
churches we have already visited on the Continent 
surpass in gorgeousness everything we have pre- 
viously seen. To-day being a holiday throughout 
Belgium, great numbers of the people both in Ghent 
and Antwerp were in the streets and squares, and 
they seem as much amused with our appearance as 
we are with theirs. All the women wear caps, often 
with high crowns and long lappets, — many of the 
working-people wooden shoes. What a clatter they 
made ! 

" The situation of our hotel at Brussels was very 
fine. Our parlor balcony overlooked the Place Roy- 
ale, with a fine statue of Godfrey of Bouillon. We 
hesitated whether to devote the next day to the 
field of Waterloo or to Brussels. The city had the 
unanimous choice of our Quaker party, though if it 
had not required a drive of eight hours, we should 
have been much interested in seeing the battle-field. 



8o MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

We had driven round the evening before to see the 
illumination in honor of the king, but we now took 
a barouche for the whole day, and saw Brussels to 
our full satisfaction; . . . the Hotel de Ville, with its 
beautiful tower of Gothic open-work, three hundred 
and sixty-four feet high, . . . and the church of Ste. 
Gudule, with its stained-glass windows, considered 
the finest in Europe. The colors are magnificent. 

" Next morning I awaked at half-past three, and 
looked out on the Place Royale, where gaslights 
were burning brightly around the statue of Godfrey 
de Bouillon, — and sentinels pacing. At 4 a.m. the 
beautiful morning light and sound of many feet pass- 
ing again drew me to the window, and I was much 
amused to see the women in short, bright-colored 
skirts and short gowns going to market with baskets 
of vegetables on their heads; some men with piles 
of cabbages ten feet high, carried in the same way; 
milk-women, each with her bright brass pot-aii-lait, 
often not touched by her hands ; others with milk 
and vegetables in their little carts drawn by one 
or two dogs. It was all very novel and interest- 
ing. . . . 

"The ride past Liege was beautiful as we descended 
the valley of the Meuse. . . . How many places there 
are where it would be pleasant to rest a few days ! 
But on, on to the Rhine and La Suisse ! We did, 
however, stop two hours at Aix, and saw a great 
deal in that time; . . . above all, an apparently in- 
terminable procession of pilgrims on their way to 



COLOGNE. 8 1 

the Cathedral to see the Great Relics, said to have 
been given to Charlemagne by the Patriarch of 
Jerusalem and Haroun-al-Raschid. The double 
column was kept in place by soldiers on horseback. 
Four francs and a little tact on the part of our driver 
introduced us to the sacristan, who took us by a pri- 
vate door into the church, where we had a very good 
view both of the relics and the pilgrims. We saw 
also Charlemagne's throne and tomb. 

" Cologne, ynio. 2^th, 1853. — We arrived here last 
evening, driving through a massive gateway (Co- 
logne is strongly fortified). . . . We have a delight- 
ful, large parlor, with windows looking directly upon 
the Rhine, and its bridge of boats fourteen hundred 
feet long, connecting Cologne with Deutz. Very 
beautiful did the Rhine look in the evening, reflect- 
ing the lights in the vessels and on the opposite 
shore, and in a different direction the broad light 
of the full moon. It was a grand sight, such as the 
memory clings to through life. 

" This morning we went to the far-famed Cathedral 
and heard High Mass (a ceremony we never before 
had an opportunity of seeing performed). I regretted 
I had not read an account of it, or had it explained 
to me, for I could not make out what the priests 
were doing with their bowing and genuflexions. 
There was more solemnity and devotion apparent 
in their manner than I had expected to see ; but 
whatever good the worship may have done to them, 
I did not see how it was to benefit the people. 
There were many strangers present, but they be- 



82 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

haved with great propriety. I saw no one smile or 
talk. The Archbishop was dressed in a violet-col- 
ored robe, and cap of the same color. . . . Thirty or 
forty priests sat on each side of the altar, chanting 
responses, etc. One of these, who was quite near 
me, had a very interesting countenance. It ex- 
pressed occasionally anguish of spirit, and I fancied 
his heart . . . aspired, like Luther's, after something 
more soul-satisfying. As soon as mass was over 
we went home quietly for the rest of the day. 

" 25//^. — After breakfast we went shopping, for real 
cologne, etc., then again to the Cathedral. I cannot 
convey any idea of the exquisite delight it gave me 
to look up at the gray arches and vaulted roof The 
choir is greatly admired, but it did not fill me with 
the same awe and delight as the rest of the church. 
I enjoyed the latter so much that when the time 
came to visit other curiosities of Cologne, I begged 
the rest of the party to leave me there, preferring 
that one great object should be thoroughly impressed 
on my mind rather than to have a mere glimpse of 
several. I enjoyed highly five painted windows, and 
a very ancient painting in distemper representing the 
Adoration of the Magi. I saw the slab in the pave- 
ment under which the heart of Marie de Medici lies 
buried, . . . and walked up and down the aisles and 
into the different chapels, sometimes sitting down to 
contemplate the various groups around me, some of 
them strangers attracted hither by curiosity, but 
mostly of the people, in their usual garb, often with 
a basket on their arm, as if they had come from their 



THE DRACHENFELS. 



83 



work to their devotions. They kneeled in silence, 
some before one shrine, some before another, and 
after a short time walked quietly away. I was much 
affected by seeing numbers of women at different 
times come in and kneel before an image of the Vir- 
gin and Child, under which was written, ' The Con- 
soler of the Afflicted.' There were more worshippers 
at this shrine than at any other, and though I knew 
that Mary could not answer their prayers, I did not 
doubt that He who knoweth the secrets of all hearts, 
who is a God of great mercy and full of pity, listens 
to these poor creatures in their low estate, judges of 
their sincerity, and comforts them in their distresses. 
There was also another exceedingly old image of our 
Saviour, carved out of wood, that seemed to be in 
great repute. . . . 

"We left Cologne at 1.30 p.m., glad to get away 
from its disagreeable odors, which still warrant the 
lines of Coleridge, though it is said the city is much 
cleaner than formerly. The scenery of the Rhine is 
insignificant until we reach Bonn ; then the beautiful 
cluster of mountains called the Siebengebirge rose 
before our view. As we wished to ascend the Dra- 
chenfels, our courier advised us to go on to K6- 
nigswinter, from which the ascent is easily made. 
Immediately on arriving at the hotel we made ar- 
rangements to ascend, and a very amusing, merry 
ride we had, — my first donkey-ride. It was not at 
all fatiguing. We alighted on a level at the foot of 
the castle. ... I shall not soon forget the rich col- 
oring of the valley and hill-slopes, nor the grand 



84 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

dark clouds that rested on the neighborinfr mountain- 
tops ; nor the party from Berlin, who sang one of their 
national songs with great enthusiasm ; our merry de- 
scent on the donkeys; the flowers the peasants gath- 
ered for us from the roadside, and our escape from 
the rain, which began to fall heavily as soon as we 
reached the court-yard on our return. The mountain 
air and the exercise we had taken gave additional 
zest to the capital supper Breitschmidt had ordered 
for us. The view from our windows at early dawn 
was exquisite. At 3^ a.m. a party passed on the 
Pont volant singing a lay of the Rhine ; . . . then 
came the market-women. But oh! the beautiful 
mountains ! the light every moment bringing into 
view new objects of beauty. . . . 

" Coblentz, jtli mo. 26th. — Our rooms here look out 
directly not only upon the Rhine but the stupendous 
frowning fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, the strongest in 
Germany. It has been rebuilt by the Prussians, and 
its magazines will hold provisions for eight thousand 
men for ten years. . . . Above Coblentz the shores 
of the river contract, and the scenery increases in 
grandeur. The castles succeeded each other so 
quickly that it was difficult to dwell upon any one 
as long as we wished. . . . The Castle of Marksburg 
delighted me. . . . The Fortress of Rheinfels is the 
most extensive ruin on the Rhine, and truly mag- 
nificent in its appearance. ... At St. Goar, as the 
river turned, we came in sight of one of its finest 
points, the dark, frowning precipice of the Lurley, 
then quickly to the charming town of Oberwesel, 



FRANKFORT. 



85 



with its m&ny-turreted walls, lofty round 'Ox- 
tower,' and beautiful church, — Liebfrauenkirche. . . . 
After passing the ruins of Sonneck the castles were 
still more crowded. The river is here called * the 
castellated Rhine,' Falkenburg and Rheinstein suc- 
ceeding each other immediately. 

'^Frankfort, yih mo. 2d>th. — . . . When we arrived 
here our good Breitschmidt, who had gone on in the 
morning to attend to various matters, met us with our 
American letters in his pocket, and as soon as we 
were seated in our carriages, we were so happy in 
reading them that for a time we were quite insensi- 
ble to the beauty of the town we were entering. . . . 
The beautiful residences of the rich bankers and mer- 
chants, surrounded by gardens, made our first im- 
pressions of Frankfort delightful. The new town 
is magnificent, and the old town most curious and 
interesting. . . . 

"29///. — After breakfast we drove to Bethman's 
Garden to see Dannecker's far-famed statue of Ari- 
adne, and to a beautiful cemetery outside the walls. 
One part was appropriated to the Jews, and we 
noticed a few crosses even there. We were delighted 
with the bas-reliefs by Thorwaldsen in the tomb of 
the Bethman family. Returning through the pic- 
turesque Eschenheim gate, with its venerable tower 
of the fourteenth century, we drove to a small open 
square, in which is a very fine bronze statue of 
Goethe, the subjects of the bas-reliefs being taken 
from Goethe's own works. I saw here what pleased 



86 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

me as much as the statue : two Httle children play- 
ing with sand ; the Httle boy, about four years old, 
making a garden, in which he had planted a green 
tree, while the little girl was wheeling sand for him. 
The mothers were sitting by, knitting. Then we 
went by the house in which Goethe lived ; saw 
Luther's house in the Dom Platz, and the window 
looking upon the market-place from which he used 
to preach to the people ; also other old houses in the 
neighborhood, especially the Romer, in the ban- 
queting-hall of which emperors were once waited 
upon by kings and princes. . . . Rode through sev- 
eral streets in the Jews' quarter, some of them so ex- 
tremely narrow that persons in the opposite houses 
might almost shake hands ; black, dismal-looking 
they were, like dens for thieves. Some of these 
passages looked as if daylight had never penetrated 
them. Ventilation must be impossible. 

" We saw too the house in which the Rothschilds 
were born. The old mother, who persisted in re- 
maining in it to the last, died lately at a very great 
age. Her children lived in princely mansions, two 
of which we saw in our drive last evening. We went 
to the bank of the Rothschilds, and saw two of the 
brothers, Anselm and Charles, the former, the eldest 
of the family, a venerable-looking man, with snow- 
white hair. At the Public Library we were shown a 
Bible of the first edition printed by Faust at Mentz. 
We longed to examine it more leisurely, but it was 
almost time to set off for Heidelberg, so we merely 
glanced at Luther's huge shoes, etc., . . . and, though 



HEIDELBERG. 



87 



surrounded by much that was tempting, ran down- 
stairs, and drove swiftly back to our hotel, where we 
found the rest of our party, trunks, etc., ready to de- 
part, and our courier in a wonderful way, thinking 
we should be left. We were not, however, but the 
baggage was charged extra, which is not the case 
when it is at the station fifteen minutes before the 
time. The cars were differently arranged from any 
we had yet been in. The division in which we sat 
was front, with glass windows almost all around. 
This was particularly agreeable, as the country be- 
tween Frankfort and Heidelberg is the most beau- 
tiful we have yet passed through by railroad. The 
mountainous district called the Odenwald, forming 
the eastern boundary of the Rhine valley, its hill- 
tops now and then crowned by a ruined castle, was 
on our left. . . . The old post-road, the ' Bergstrasse,' 
celebrated for its beauty, ran near us for the greater 
part of the way. 

" Heidelberg, yth mo. 30//^ — After breakfast the 
donkeys were brought to the door, and we ascended 
the hill to the castle. . . . The heavy teeth of the 
portcullis looked terrific. Over a stone door-way, 
where a good old king stood frowning, a group of the 
loveliest harebells and grasses was growing luxu- 
riantly. We sat for some time on the balcony of 
Friedrichsban enjoying the view of the Neckar; the 
town of Heidelberg at our feet; far in the distance 
the Rhine dimly seen. . . . We visited the dungeons, 
the famous Tun, the ruined and desolate garden, . . . 
and the tower which the French undermined and tried 



88 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

to blow up; but so strongly was it built that instead 
of crumbling to pieces half of it merely slid down 
from its place in a solid mass. ... A beautiful walk 
down through overhanging trees brought us again to 
the level of the town. . . . 

"After dinner we left for Baden-Baden, and found 
delightful apartments reserved for us at the Hotel de 
I'Europe through Breitschmidt's ' four lines.' Fifty 
persons who applied for rooms this very day had to 
go elsewhere. 

^^Baden-Baden, yth mo. 2>'^st, First day. — We are 
delightfully situated, and though in a town where 
there is a great deal of gayety and dissipation, we 
have been as quiet as if at home, out of reach of all 
noise and bustle. Our hotel surpasses any we have 
ever seen, — large, clean, very airy; a great staircase in 
the centre of the house, lighted by a fine skylight ; 
plants in bloom on every step. Directly under our 
parlor windows, which open on a balcony, is a beau- 
tiful little garden ; beyond that the little river Oos, 
not wider than one of our canals, but flowing rapidly 
over a rocky bed, clear and sparkling like a New 
England stream, soothes us with its silvery murmur. 
. . . After breakfast Susy and myself took a delight- 
ful, quiet stroll ; never did we feel more the sweet, 
calming influences of nature. . . . Returning to our 
quiet chamber, we had a comfortable time of reading 
and meditation, and remained within-doors until 
nearly seven in the evening, when we went on the 
same hill in front of the hotel where we had walked 
in the morning. We gathered a variety of beautiful 



BADEN-BADEN. 



89 



wild-flowers, and at almost every turn in the path a 
new landscape met our view. We had a real climb 
in the woods that made me feel taller and straighter 
than I had done for many a day. 

" 8/// mo. 1st. — Baden-Baden is certainly by far the 
most beautiful watering-place I have ever seen. . . . 
With a few minutes' walk we may be in the depths of 
dark woods. There are numerous drives in every 
direction, surpassing even those of our favorite Berk- 
shire. . . . 

" In the evening we went for a few minutes into 
the Kursaal and looked at the gamblers, but did not 
see much excitement. The players seemed to feel 
little concern as the rows of gold and silver changed 
owners every moment. It was difficult to realize that 
they were not simply counters in the hands of chil- 
dren. The moment after ' Messieurs, faites le jeu' we 
heard 'Le jeu est fini.' 

"8t/i mo. 2d. — At Zy>, A.M. we set off for Basle, and 
had not the weather been excessively hot the journey 
would have been delightful ; as it was we much en- 
joyed the views of the Rhine, on whose banks we 
were travelling, — islands in the river, fine woods, and 
mountains in the distance. Four miles before ar- 
riving at Basle we were transferred to an omnibus, 
we three being in the coupe ; the delicious air blow- 
ing fresh from the mountains was quite reviving. 
Entering the city we crossed a bridge, which gave 
us a very fine view of Basle, the Rhine being at 
this point curved like a bow. From our parlor bal- 
cony we have the most beautiful view up and down 

8* 



90 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



both banks of the river. It looks noble here ; is 
of a bluer tint and clearer than at Cologne or 
Coblentz. . . . 

" At ten o'clock we left Basle for Schaffhausen in 
two carriages, — we three, Susan, Mary, and myself, 
feeling very cosey in one of them. Our road lay 
altogether on the banks of the Rhine. . . . We no- 
ticed cows and horses attached to the same plough, 
and in one instance a woman ploughing; quite as 
many women as men work in the fields, and exces- 
sively sunburnt they look. Many of them indeed 
have so lost every trace of female grace and beauty, 
that they are to be distinguished from the men by 
their dress only. Ploughs and other agricultural im- 
plements seem clumsy. . . . The people are very 
thrifty and industrious, turning every nook of land to 
someaccount, and cultivating the steepest slopes. . . . 
We stopped for the night at Waldshut, a small walled 
town, consisting principally of one street, gates and 
towers at each end ; houses very old looking. We 
took our tea in a summer-house on the very brink of 
the Rhine, commanding a fine view up and down the 
river. 

" Zth mo. Aftli. Falls of the Rliine. — We were so for- 
tunate as to obtain rooms directly in front of the Falls, 
and close by them. . . . And these are considered the 
finest falls in Europe ! but far inferior in grandeur to 
Niagara, and less picturesque than Trenton Falls, we 
must admit they are. . . . We crossed in a row-boat 
to the opposite shore, and climbed up a high bank to 
the Castle of Laufen, situated most picturesquely. 



ASCENT OF THE RIGI. 



91 



directly over the rushing cataract; . . . then descend- 
ing some flights of steps to a balcony, we stood im- 
mediately by the side of the dashing, foaming, roar- 
ing torrent, receiving the spray and mist in our faces. 
From this point we enjoyed the Falls exceedingly; 
grandeur almost terrific was added to their beauty. . . . 
At sunset we caught a glimpse of some very high 
and distant Alps, crowned with snow ; the first we 
have seen. . . . 

" %th mo. ^th. — On the way to Zurich a heavy rain 
came on, but we were very cosey in our little glass 
house (their carriage), and read and talked most hap- 
pily . . . We stopped at an inn by the roadside, where 
the horses were fed with bread, — a customary thing 
in this part of the country." 

At Zurich, and on the noble drive thence to Lu- 
cerne by way of Lake Zug, clouds and rain, though 
obscuring many of the finest points, perhaps height- 
ened the impression of ever-increasing grandeur. 
At Lucerne they shared the enthusiasm of all travel- 
lers at the first sight of the Lake of the Four Forest 
Cantons, It was a scene of ideal loveliness. 

On the 8th of August they ascended the Rigi, — 
Miss Mary Anna in a cJiaisc a porteiirs, Miss Susan 
on a donkey, — for these were the happy days, when 
as yet railways among the clouds were not. The 
fascinating winding bridle-path with its momently 
unfolding glories of snow-capped peaks baffled all 



92 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



words, yet for the mother and aunt at home who 
will never see this wonderful Rigi with their bodily 
eyes, they must try to describe it, even down to the 
exquisite wayside flowers that delight Miss M, A.'s 
heart. They were fortunate in the sunset view from 
the Kulm, the whole panorama being clear except 
the Bernese Oberland ; the Jungfrau, as is her tanta- 
lizing wont, hiding her face behind a misty veil. The 
courier had remained below to superintend the alter- 
ation of a travelling carriage, but had sent his brother 
Sebastian, living in Lucerne, in his place. The poor 
Swiss evidently considered himself responsible for 
the behavior of his native peaks, and now hung all 
his hopes on a perfect sunrise. But alas! the next 
morning " the mist was thicker than a Newport fog! 
Poor Breit was nowhere to be found." These ca- 
prices of the ** Monk" and the " Maiden" had dis- 
graced him. 

" Nevertheless," said Miss Susan, '' I was not very 
much disappointed, and thought the mist very fine, as 
I walked along the mountain-crest. ... It was bit- 
terly cold. I saw one pedestrian with knapsack on 
his back and pipe in his mouth splitting wood to 
warm himself, while the wood-cutter stood by, won- 
dering. But suddenly there was a change. The 
mist rolled away from lake and valley up the side of 
the mountain, the sun shining upon it, blue sky 



THE TRAVELLING CARRIAGE. 



93 



overhead. I ran to call the others, and returned 
quickly to find all again covered with the thickest 
fog. We concluded not to wait, for it might not 
clear till noon, when lo ! the whole panorama was 
unveiled to our admiring gaze ; we could hardly turn 
from it, for it changed every moment, . . . clouds on 
mountains, mountains piled on clouds, in the great- 
est confusion. Still Sebastian B. was not satisfied : 
' You do not see the peaks and glaciers of the 
Bernese Alps !'" 

But they thought they had seen a vision " such as 
this green earth could not elsewhere show," and were 
content. The descent, with this changing cloud and 
mountain picture before them, was almost as enjoy- 
able as any part of the expedition. 

" On arriving again at Lucerne our good Breit- 
schmidt had the carriage all ready,— a coach-box 
put on for A. and M., — our clothes washed and 
sorted (!), a book provided for my flowers, our trunks 
repaired, everything done. . . . We have a large, 
easy carriage that will accommodate, if necessary, 
six persons inside. Now imagine Susan and Mary 
on the back seat, myself in front with Murray, etc., a 
capital map of Switzerland, a great pile of shawls by 
my side, and you see us almost ^ well as if you were 
looking at us with your bodily eyes. We have four 
horses, and a postilion to drive, in a blue coat faced 
with scarlet, with short scarlet flaps ; he is a droll- 



94 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



looking personage, and sits on the left hind horse, 
cracking his whip very often to the imminent danger 
of one's face; the horses' bells make a very cheerful 
sound as we ride over hill and valley. . . . 

" 8//^ vio. \otJi. — We set off (from Lucerne) for 
Interlaken very early, having a long day's journey 
before us. The whole village appeared to have 
turned out to see the departure of the foreigners." 

It was the unusual sight of the Friends' costume 
that attracted all this attention. Miss M. A. says in 
another place : 

" It is curious to observe how much notice we 
attract; our dress is as novel to these people as 
theirs is to us. We do them a kindness when we 
take a good look at them, by giving them the oppor- 
tunity of having a good' look at us. The courier 
tells us they take us for a new order of nuns. 

"We were constantly watching for the chain of 
the Bernese Alps, but the air was too misty to see 
them. We saw the conical peak of the Stockhorn 
and the darkly frowning Niesen, which form as it 
were the advanced guard of the Alps, and almost 
overtop the town of Thun, where we stopped to 
dine. Thun is a very ancient-looking place, and 
near its wall is a feudal castle seven hundred years 
old. Its situation is very picturesque, and its envi- 
rons are considered among the finest in Switzerland. 
. . . We crossed the Aar, a beautiful stream, rush- 
ing out of the lake as clear as crystal, and took an 



INTER LA KEN. 



95 



excellent, smooth road along the south shore to 
Interlaken. The distance is only fifteen miles, and 
our American horses would soon have whirled us 
over it, but these poor creatures, though the best we 
have had in Switzerland, were from 4 p.m. until after 
sunset on the road. Still, there was no cause for 
regret; . . . the majestic mountains rising on every 
side, . . . the sunset tinting them with rosy and 
purple light, giving the lake the appearance of a sea 
of gold, made us far more willing to linger than to 
hasten through scenes so exquisitely lovely." 

Breitschmidt could forgive the Jungfrau for her 
caprices at the Rigi, if she would only be propitious 
at Interlaken. But he was helpless. " II faiit pricrr 
he cried, in his fervor of desire. 

" And when I awoke at dawn next morning," says 
Miss Susan, ..." and in the clearest possible at- 
mosphere beheld the Jungfrau and Silberhorn in per- 
fect beauty, I could hardly contain myself for joy. 
... So we all set out in high spirits for Lauterbrun- 
nen — all beauty as well as ' all fountains' — and the 
cascade of Staubach ; ascended the Wengern Alp on 
horseback, dined in full view of the Jungfrau and the 
Silberhorn, with avalanches thundering in our sight 
and hearing ; and went over the Lesser Scheideck to 
Grindelwald, under the shadow of giant peaks, with 
glaciers between them. Here we drew our blanket 
shawls about us, some of our party even dismount- 
ing, that their aching feet might be warmed." 



96 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



In descending toward the valley of Meyringen, 
the path lay now through a forest of dark fir-trees, 
above whose tops they could catch the dazzling 
gleam of snow-peaks and aiguilles, now over steep 
Alpine pastures, where many herds of cows were 
feeding, the musical tinkle of their bells blending 
with the deep roar of an occasional avalanche. Other 
travellers were descending the same pass, — some on 
foot, with alpenstocks and knapsacks covered with 
chamois-skins, others, like themselves, on horseback. 
They stop at a mountain hut for the refreshments of 
strawberries and cream. " Do not envy us," says 
Miss Mary Anna, " but come and enjoy it all for 
yourselves." So bracing was the air on this de- 
lightful day of Alpine climbing they rode on horse- 
back twenty-three miles with little fatigue. The next 
day they reached the lake at Brienz, and " we were 
rowed across to see the Giesbach, the most pictur- 
esque waterfall, or rather succession of waterfalls, I 
ever saw;" . . . with its dark forest setting, " it seemed 
to descend from the clouds." 

The party then returned to Interlaken, and spent 
several delightful, restful days in full view of the 
glorious Jungfrau. On August 15th she was again 
veiled in mist. It was one of those days all travellers 
know by experience only too well. " Home thoughts 
from abroad" are rarely exhilarating, and Miss Mary 



VE VA V. 



97 



Anna's turned in a direction most natural at this 
season. " My dear pupils," she writes, " came to my 
recollection so tenderly and vividly, and thoughts of 
school, and how they would be settled, that I was 
foolish enough to shed some tears." Happily, as 
they were leaving Interlaken, the mists rolled away, 
chasing sad thoughts with them, and the last glimpse 
of the dazzling mountain group was entrancing. En 
route for Berne they stopped once more at Thun, 
and again enjoyed its exquisite surroundings. 

As they moved southward from Berne heavy 
showers entirely concealed the Lake of Geneva until 
they were just above Vevay. Here the rain ceased, 
and the magnificent snow-covered peaks at the east- 
ern end of the lake were resplendent in the golden 
rays of the setting sun. 

Of the many interesting points around Vevay they 
had only time to visit one, the old Castle of Chillon. 
The drive along the shore, past Clarens and Mon- 
treux, convinced them that " nothing could be more 
beautiful," until the same afternoon they steamed 
down the lake to Geneva and saw Mont Blanc, sixty 
miles away, lifting his majestic head "as if he be- 
longed not to this lower world." 

Two members of the party now deciding to give 
up the visit to Northern Italy, engaged another 
courier, leaving the faithful Breitschmidt to attend 



98 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



Miss Mary Anna and her sister, with their young 
friend, Mary W., to Geneva and Chamonix, en route 
for the Itah'an lakes, Genoa, Florence, etc. 

" Geneva, %th nio. igth. — Not a cloud in the blue 
sky; Mont Blanc visible all day. . . . After dinner we 
set off to call on the Baronne de Stael at her chateau 
on the lake, near Coppet ; were much disappointed 
to find her absent, but Susan wrote a note giving 
Uncle Grellet's message. The steward took us into 
the large library, dining- and drawing-rooms, in which 
were fine portraits of Mme. de Stael, etc. The whole 
building interested us, not only as the home of this 
excellent woman, but as a specimen of a French 
chateau. Its exterior has no pretensions to elegance, 
though the approach through a long avenue of trees 
is rather imposing. We drove there in a char-a-banc 
— an odd kind of conveyance, with windows only on 
one side, opposite the passengers, who sit sideways. 
On our way to Coppet the Jura range was constantly 
before us; returning, the exquisitely lovely lake with 
its numerous pleasure-boats, etc., . . . the lateen-sails 
(peculiar to this lake and the Mediterranean) having 
the appearance of great white wings, as of an im- 
mense bird brooding over the placid waters. . . . 
And there was Mont Blanc, perfectly distinct and well 
defined, towering up into the sky, its exhaustless 
mass of snow, purely white against the azure vault, 
looking close upon us, though really sixty miles 
away ; and in addition to this, a perfect reflection of 
it in the lake, though mountains of great height 



CHAMONIX. 



99 



themselves intervene between it and its liquid mir- 



ror. 



They reached the city in time for another glorious 
sunset, followed by an evening so calm and beautiful 
that they were tempted out for a moonlight row 
upon the lake, Mont Blanc in pale splendor still faintly 
visible. 

There was much further interest for them in 
Geneva, not only from its strong associations with 
Calvin and John Knox, with Saussure, Huber, De 
Candolle, and Sismondi, but from its being at that 
time the home of D'Aubigne, Malan, and others, 
who seemed to the sisters to be holding up the stand- 
ard of a pure Christianity at a crisis of great impor- 
tance. They would gladly have lingered another day 
or two, but Breitschmidt was urgent they should take 
advantage of the fine weather and push on to Cha- 
monix. 

The large travelling carriage had been ieft for a 
i^w days with the other members of the party, so 
the trio took seats in the coupe of the regular dili- 
gence. The long drive to this most famous of Alpine 
valleys was a fitting prelude to its glories. 

Their rooms at Chamonix were as usual most 
happily chosen : " opening upon a wide balcony or 
terrace, from which we look directly up at Mont Blanc, 



100 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

the Glacier des Bossons on one side, the Mer de 
Glace on the other." It was near sunset when they 
arrived ; all the peaks, the Dome, the aiguilles, 
were illuminated with rosy and golden tints ; but 
soon all faded into cold white, except Mont Blanc, 
" which, sovereign-like, remained gloriously and 
proudly bright when all other terrestrial things were 
wrapped in the shades of evening. And while he 
was still wearing his golden crown the evening star 
appeared, gemming the blue sky directly above his 
head. . . . There was surely enough of beauty and 
sublimity to awaken poetic fires in the dullest breast ; 
but though there was no slumbering spark in me 
capable of being thus kindled, I could and did 
heartily enjoy a great poet's outpourings in Cole- 
ridge's hymn to Mont Blanc." 

The next day, Sunday, was spent quietly, but in 
deep enjoyment of their surroundings. For the two 
additional days of their stay there was truly an em- 
barrassment of riches in the way of excursions. One 
day, of course, must be given to the Mer de Glace; 
on the other. Miss Susan, who was a capital moun- 
tain climber, was eager to try Le Brevent. " She 
could ascend Mont Blanc," said Breitschmidt, in en- 
thusiastic admiration of her prowess. After some 
inquiry he found an American gentleman and his 
daughter who were as glad of the addition to their 



CHAMONIX. lOi 

party as she was to join them, and the whole expe- 
dition was made most successfully, with extreme en- 
joyment and no fatigue. 

Miss Mary Anna meanwhile, who was not equal to 
so arduous a climb, made with her young friend Mary 
W., and quite a party of others, the easier ascent 
of La Flegere. " We did not expect Susan at home 
until 6 P.M., but to our great delight she made her 
appearance at four, as bright and fresh as a bird, and 
we had a very pleasant talk over the day's adventures." 

By 7 A.M. the next morning they were on their mules 
for Montanvert and the Mer de Glace. 

" For a great part of our ascent we were in the shade, 
riding through a forest of firs and larches, the roots 
of which were covered with beautiful mosses, ferns, 
and flowers ; in some places there were little patches 
;rrfwith strawberries. ... At the inn on Montanvert 
we dismounted, and with our alpenstocks in one hand 
and the guide's arm in the other, walked down the 
steep bank that borders the Mer de Glace. It is not 
until we are on this vast sea that we can form an idea 
of its size, . . . every object round it being of such 
stupendous dimensions. The Aiguille Verte alone, 
which rises immediately above it, is thirteen thousand 
feet above the sea-level." 

The little party met,many friends in Chamonix, and 
pleasant social intercourse, always so great an addition 

9* 



I02 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

to the charm of traveUing, refreshed them after days 
spent among the glaciers and aiguilles. The weather 
had been perfect, — they had seen Mont Blanc by 
sunset and by moonlight, even a wind-storm with 
shifting clouds adding a new phase of grandeur. Per- 
haps no part of the whole journey was more complete 
in enjoyment than this. 

Retaining the same guides and mules they had 
found so satisfactory in these excursions, they crossed 
the Tete Noire to Martigny, — a wilder route no doubt 
at that day than at the present, yet \es^ farouche than 
they expected, and to Miss Susan, who could dismount 
at intervals and walk along the narrow ledges, both 
exciting and delightful. But for Miss Mary Anna, 
who could not thus vary the exercise, three consecu- 
tive days on mule-back were almost too much, and 
the change at Martigny to their comfortable carriage 
was a welcome rest. There were no good stopping- 
places in the Rhone Valley, but Breitschmidt was a 
capital purveyor, and the contents of his ample basket 
were never disappointing to the keenest appetite. The 
magnificent passage of the Simplon beginning at Brieg 
was a contrast indeed to the Tete Noire bridle-path. 
Here were heights and depths even more stupendous 
perhaps than any they had yet seen, but to gaze at 
them from a cushioned carriage rolling smoothly 
over one of the finest roads in the world was a luxury 



LAGO MA GG 10 RE. IO3 

the party were quite ready to appreciate, and for once 
the lovers of peace did honor to Napoleon. The 
mere repose was at first so dehghtful they ahnost for- 
got to look back at the castles of Sion in the valley, 
embosomed in the greenness of high summer. 

As they left Brieg on the morning of August 26th, 
the sun was as hot as at the same season in America, 
and no one thought of dressing for an Arctic expedi- 
tion ; but a few hours changed the temperature from 
that of the tropics to Labrador. Keen winds from the 
ice-fields of the Aletsch and Viesch glaciers brought 
every blanket shawl into requisition, and braced body 
and mind alike for the increasing grandeur of the de- 
scent, as they entered the dark recesses of the Gondo 
Chasm, mysterious and awe-inspiring even at mid-day. 

The courier strongly advised against their lodging 
at Domo d'Ossola, so, late as it was, and now pouring 
with rain, they pushed on to Baveno, where they ar- 
rived at 10 P.M., after seventy miles, of carriage trav- 
elling since the morning. They were not too weary, 
however, to enjoy the novelty of their now completely 
foreign surroundings, — the Italian albergo with its 
inner court-yard ; the soft-scented airs floating from 
the neighboring villa gardens; the musical, courteous 
" Si, Signora !" of the very porters of the hotel; nor 
could they forget that they were lulled to sleep by 
the rippling waters of the Lago Maggiore, 



I04 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



The next morning they were rowed over to the 
lovely Borromean Islands opposite, and the same 
afternoon were on their way to Arona, where they 
were to spend the Sunday. Here they were de- 
lighted by a most unlooked-for arrival of home let- 
ters, forwarded in advance by Breitschmidt's arrange- 
ment as a pleasant surprise for them. 

" 8//; }no. 2^th, First day. — One of the brightest 
days of our journey, though spent very quietly. We 
had felt strongly tempted to go to Orta, a little lake 
spoken of by travellers as a gem of beauty, with most 
exquisite surroundings; but, after weighing the mat- 
ter well, we felt best satisfied to remain quietly at our 
hotel. We had a sweet little meeting, — great peace 
and comfort. A lovely sunrise this morning. The 
melting hues of rose, violet, and purple in which the 
mountains were bathed were such as we had never 
seen before ; the golden glow of the eastern sky was 
brightly mirrored in the lake." 

Their next stopping-place was Genoa, where they 
conscientiously " did" the usual round of palaces 
and pictures, each fine and interesting in itself, yet 
crowded into days so entirely given up to sight- 
seeing, one cannot but feel somewhat relieved when 
they are once more in their carriage, winding along 
the Mediterranean shore, the noble " Riviera Le- 
vante," on their way to La Spezzia. 



LA SPEZZIA. 



105 



On reaching the crest of a rocky promontory they 
ah'ghted from their carriage for one last look at 
" Genoa la Superba." But every turn in the road 
only unfolded some new phase of beauty, — the little 
glistening Italian towns, with their slender cam- 
paniles or picturesque martello towers, outlined 
against the delicate tints of the retreating shore ; the 
olive groves, the luxuriant oleanders, then in full 
bloom ; — 

" Nor knew they well what pleased them most, 
****** 

Distant color, happy hamlet, 
A mouldered citadel on the coast, 

" Or tower, or high hill convent seen 
A light amid its olives green, 

Or hoary olive cape in ocean. 
Or rosy blossoms in hot ravine." 

Something of the poetry vanished, it is true, when 
they stopped at a wayside inn to change horses. 

"The misery and filth surpassed all we had seen, 
and so clamorous were the beggars it was necessary 
to draw the curtains of the carriage to keep them out. 
' Bella Italia, bnita gcntc! How I longed to do 
them some real good ! They are pressed down by the 
combined despotism of priests and rulers. Among 
human instrumentalities it seemed to me that rail- 
roads will be one of the most effective. Wherever 



1 06 ME MOIR OF MARY A NNA LONGS 7R E TH. 

we find them we notice more activity and life among 
the people and a desire for improvement in outward 
comfort which may lead to something better." 

At La Spezzia the Queen of Holland and suite 
were occupying the whole of the best hotel, so they 
had to take lodgings in a private house, where they 
had a new and certainly not pleasant experience of 
an Italian night in early September. " Supper was 
not to be thought of in our eagerness for sleep, and, 
though the rooms did not look very promising, we 
were soon on our beds. Breitschmidt had told us 
that Spezzia was a sad place for mosquitoes, but, as 
it was not yet quite the season for them, we had little 
fear of being molested. Besides, why should people 
sleepy as we were, mind mosquitoes?" They little 
suspected the malice and perseverance of the tor- 
mentors lying in wait for them. " Between their 
singing and their stinging sleep was absolutely out 
of the question," and, after some hours of hopeless 
battling with the enemy, Miss Mary Anna insisted on 
sitting by Miss Susan's bedside and fanning her until 
daylight, thus securing for the one at least who most 
needed it a few hours' repose. The next morning 
they took a joyful departure from a spot whose un- 
questionable outward loveliness had now little power 
to detain them. 



FLORENCE. 



107 



The accommodations at Pisa, at a delightful ^hotel 
on the Arno, were a great contrast to those they had 
just left, and here Miss Susan was glad to rest, while 
Miss M. A. and Mary W. went over by rail to Leg- 
horn to visit the grave of Anna Gurney Backhouse.* 
On their return, before taking the train for Florence, 
they found time not only to visit the great Duomo, 
Baptistery, Campo Santo, and Leaning Tower, but 
to climb to the top of the latter, and, in short, to 
note every detail of these remarkable buildings with 
real enjoyment. They had certainly become adepts 
in the art of expeditious sightseeing. The journey to 
Florence was made in their own carriage, placed on 
a platform attached to the train. At the Tuscan 
capital they were again on the Arno, in a charming 
hotel, close to the picturesque Ponte Vecchio. The 
next day was Sunday. 

" After breakfast we sent Breitschmidt with the 
letter of introduction given to us at Wm. Forster's by 
Count Guicciardini, . . . now an exile for non-con- 
formity to the Romish Church." The letter was ad- 

* Anna Gurney Backhouse, only daughter of Joseph John Gurney, 
of Earlham, England, and wife of John Church Backhouse, seeking 
health in Italy, and forced, in the political excitement of 1847, to take 
refuge on board the " Bull Dog," a British man-of-war, died on the 
deck of this vessel as she lay in the harbor of Palermo. Her loveli- 
ness of character had greatly endeared her to Mrs. Gurney, as well 
as many friends of the latter who had never known her personally. 



I08 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETB. 

dres.'^ed to Miss Eliza Brown, a lady then living at 
Florence as a Bible-reader, under the protection of 
the British flag. 

" As it is not allowable for even six persons to 
meet together for religious fellowship or reading, her 
poor Tuscan friends come to her one or two at a 
time. Her door is chained, and when the bell rings 
she opens it herself, so afraid are they of being dis- 
turbed by spies and officers." 

Miss Brown called on them that same afternoon 
with Miss Georgiana Dixon, a friend and fellow- 
worker, and after much interesting talk about the 
happiness, as well as the difficulties of their labors 
among these poor Lollards of the nineteenth century, 
the whole party took a drive around the city. They 
went to the Boboli Gardens, enjoyed the fascinating 
vistas through the cypress avenues, those 

" Bright vignettes, and each complete, 
Of tower and duomo, sunny sweet," 

and drove through the lovely Cascine. But perhaps 
nothing, modern or medieval, had more interest for 
them than the palace of Count Guicciardini, "ar- 
rested," says Miss M. A., " for the crime of reading 
the 15th chapter of St. John in company with 
seven persons. His character is so pure and excel- 
lent that he was called in Florence ' The Unblem- 



FLORENCE. 



109 



ished,' and when he was taken to prison his guards 
and jailer involuntarily uncovered their heads out of 
respect." Thirty years have made a change indeed 
in Florentine liberties. 

The next day they began with the galleries. But 
what could be done in four days with the treasures 
of the Pitti and Uffizi, to say nothing of even richer 
objects of interest, — Giotto's Campanile, the Gates 
of the Baptistery, the Duomo, San Marco, and the 
Bargello ? The fascinations of Florence are well- 
nigh inexhaustible. The mere enumeration is a 
catalogue of masterpieces in almost every domain of 
art. Every corner of the old town is linked with 
some illustrious name. Dante and Savonarola, 
Michael Angelo and Raphael still haunt her streets; 
Fra Angelico's saintly presence lingers in the pic- 
tured cells of San Marco. Four months would 
hardly suffice to receive all the rich old city has to 
give, yet all that could be done in four days Miss 
Mary Anna and her party undoubtedly did. 

The courier was almost disabled by rheumatism 

just at this time, but it happened most fortunately 

that he could take a complete rest; Miss Dixon 

evidently delighting to act as cicerone. Miss Brown 

also joining the party whenever her engagements 

would allow. 

Notwithstanding the unseasonable time of year, 
10 



no MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

almost all the travellers they met were on the way to 
Rome, Naples, and Pompeii, names of potent spell 
to the coldest fancy ; but the little trio, though cast- 
ing wistful glances toward the south, could set aside 
the temptation without an effort, Miss M. A. even re- 
joicing that they had reached the most distant point of 
the journey and could now turn their faces homeward. 
Her "dear girls," too, just at this time taking their 
places at other schools, pulled strongly at her heart. 
September 8th they left Florence for Bologna; not 
whirled away, as would probably now be the case, by 
a shrieking locomotive, but seated in the home-like 
carriage, leisurely ascending the villa-dotted hills 
among the vines and olive-yards, with lovely last 
views of "Firenze la Bella" lying in the valley below. 
At Caffagioli an ancient palace of the Medici comes 
picturesquely into view. A Spanish princess, Eleanor 
of Toledo, was murdered here in the old days of 
license and misrule. The machicolate towers and bat- 
tlements look grimly conscious of the tragedy; the 
little party shudder at the sight of them, but the 
haze of centuries is upon the story, and the purple 
mountains make the scene so picturesque ! There are 
many such. As they climb the rugged spurs of the 
Apennines, " exclamations of delight were constantly 
bursting from our lips. We dined in the carriage, 
and our ' clover-leaf was very happy." 



BOLOGNA. Ill 

"At the summit of the pass everything looked 
wintry and dreary, and this part of the country is the 
resort of banditti." So they stop early for the night 
and enjoy a cosey parlor with a blazing fire, " fine 
views of the Apennines, a glowing sunset, and a beau- 
tiful moonrise. We sat down to write in our journals, 
and when it grew too dark to see we drew our chairs 
around the fire and enjoyed an old-fashioned twi- 
light." 

They were on their way again soon after six the 
next morning, that they might catch a glimpse of the 
Adriatic before the mists obscured it, and they were 
not disappointed. Miss M. A. rode outside nearly 
all the way down to Bologna; the descents were often 
very steep. " Breitschmidt put the shoe on the car- 
riage fifty times." 

They spent a few hours among the pictures, etc., 
at Bologna, and the next morning again started early, 
posting the whole ninety miles to Piacenza in one 
day, that they might reach Milan in time for at least 
a partly quiet Sunday. The road was the old Roman 
Via Emilia, built 187 B.C., its solid, ancient stone- 
work still in good condition. " It was perfectly 
straight; we could see miles before us and miles 
behind us." 

At Piacenza there was some trouble about their 
passports, as the officials at the bureau " did not 



112 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

know where Washington was, and had never heard 
of Philadelphia," and sent to the hotel after the ladies 
had retired for the night to call them to account for 
purporting to come from such impossible places. 
Breitschmidt, however, backed by a more enlight- 
ened Austrian officer, soon settled the matter, and 
the party did not hear of it until the next noon. , 

At Milan the white spires of the Cathedral were in 
view from their windows at the hotel. The exterior 
had become familiar to them through pictures, but 
as they entered, 

" The height, the space, the gloom, the glory, 
The giant windows 'blazoned fires," 

took them completely by surprise. " My astonish- 
ment at its grandeur and beauty," says Miss Mary 
Anna, " was so great that I raised my hands in a 
transport of delight. It is worth crossing the ocean 
to see." 

"... In the chapel under the church we saw the 
gorgeous shrine and inner coffin of rock-crystal in 
which the body of St. Charles Borromeo is deposited. 
A ghastly sight it was, the head shrivelled almost to 
the bare skull in the midst of the gold and diamonds, 
emeralds and rubies, which compose the end of his 
crosier and adorn his dress. . . . 

"A funeral procession was leaving the church, — a 
long train of women dressed in black, with white 



MILAiV. 



I I 



aprons, caps, and veils, each one carrying a large wax 
candle, lighted, all chanting as they followed the 
coffin. We were told they were not nuns, but a 
kind of benevolent society to which the deceased 
belonged. . . , 

" We drove to the Convent in whose deserted re- 
fectory is Leonardo's celebrated painting of the Last 
Supper. The head of our Saviour far exceeded our 
expectations, and is superior to all other attempts 
which we have seen to portray His divine counte- 
nance. Our fatigue was forgotten." 

They had been very desirous of seeing the Cathe- 
dral by moonlight, and were not disappointed. Its 
beauty was magical, but Miss Susan had a still rarer 
treat. Early the next morning she mounted to the 
top, and was rewarded by a sight one could never 
forget. The whole horizon was encircled by moun- 
tains, and there 'lay the long chain of snow-covered 
Alps in cloudless beauty, Monte Rosa "phantom 
fair," flushed by the sunrise, now seen for the first 
time. Miss S. came back enchanted; "but /can tell 
you," wrote Miss Mary Anna, " of a nice morning nap, 
while S. was toiling up those five hundred and twelve 
steps." 

When, however, in 1866, Miss M. A. was again at 

Milan, she gave up her morning nap and herself 

climbed to the Cathedral roof, to be rewarded by the 

same glorious spectacle. 

10* 



114 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



All this time the courier had been again really ill, 
and the party of three ladies travelling alone were 
seriously anxious; but to their great relief Breit- 
schmidt so far recovered as to be able to go on with 
them to Como. All they had time to see of the 
beautiful lake was from the deck of the steamer on 
the way to Colico, where they again took their places 
in the carriage. The speed with which they now 
travelled almost takes away one's breath. By early 
rising, and extra fees to the postilions, they crowded 
the programme for two days into one, posting from 
Chiavenna to Spliigen, and taking the same afternoon 
the excursion to the Via Mala. 

" It was a glorious day (September 15th), and the 
mountain air was thoroughly exhilarating. . . . Tread- 
ing numerous zigzags, short and sharp, and trav- 
ersing several galleries cut through the rock with 
great labor and expense, we came in view of the beau- 
tiful fall of the Medessino, rushing down a precipice 
eight hundred feet high. We had the opportunity of 
seeing it again and again at the turning of the terraces 
up which we were winding. . . . Without the pre- 
caution of the galleries the road would be swept 
away by the avalanches. Ascending still higher, we 
passed the region of shrubs ; but even here the coarse 
grass was thickly sprinkled with tufts of the violet- 
colored gentian. . . . Another series of zigzags 
brought us to the summit of the Spliigen Pass, a 



VIA MALA. 



115 



narrow ridge forming the boundary-line between 
Lombardy and Switzerland. It is nearly seven thou- 
sand feet above the sea. I cannot describe the 
beauty of the scenery, — the pure air, the snow-capped 
peaks, with occasionally a glacier between them, seen 
against the bright blue sky. The descent began 
immediately, ... by short zigzags, to the village of 
Spliigen. ... I noticed some fine specimens of the 
dark-blue gentian, but it was out of the question to 
stop the carriage, and I saw it nowhere afterwards. 

"We arrived in Splugen at half-past twelve, just 
in time for the diligence dinner, and a little after one 
were ready to set off for the Via Mala. . . . The 
road follows the Rhine all the way. ... At one 
point, where a bridge spanned the river, we had a 
view of transporting loveliness, — snow mountains in 
the distance, the foaming cataract of the Rofla, and 
meadows sprinkled for miles with the most beautiful 
autumnal crocusus. . . . Our new postilion speaks 
Romansch, a dialect derived from the Latin, — many 
words being identical with it. At Andeer, where we 
changed horses, we saw mottoes and quaint inscrip- 
tions in Latin and Romansch on several of the 
houses. But soon the valley began to contract, until 
there was only a narrow defile between the almost 
perpendicular walls of rock. At some points there 
was no place for a road ; it had to be hewn out of the 
solid stone; and there it is like a shelf, hanging over 
the tremendous gulf below, while the arching rock 
above overhangs the road. We passed through a short 
tunnel, and afterwards over two bridges which span 



tl5 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

the gorge, carrying the road from one side to the 
other. To enjoy the impressive view thoroughly we 
walked nearly a mile through the pass, which, al- 
though inferior in fearful grandeur to the Gorge of 
Gondo, seemed to us more wonderful. For the chasm, 
split through the stupendous mountain from its sum- 
mit to its base, is in some places so narrow one could 
almost leap across, and the edges appear to be so 
little changed by time, that if the same force that 
rent them asunder should act again to press them 
together, they would fit almost as if they were dove- 
tailed. We stood some time on the bridge looking 
at the sublime scene. Perhaps the Gorge of Gondo 
impressed us more because we saw it first. The Via 
Mala is certainly exceedingly grand. Looking over 
the parapet of the bridge, we could hardly see the 
Rhine boiling and foaming in the depths below; at 
some pointy it was entirely hidden by the overhang- 
ing cliffs. A fragment of rock thrown down by our 
driver was seven seconds in reaching the river. . . . 
Again emerging from the pass, we enjoyed the 
brightness of the valley in the broad glow of a de- 
scending sun. Our horses were spirited, and the 
horn of our postilion was unusually sweet and 
musical. We arrived at the hotel just before dark. 
Half an hour after it began to rain. The landlord 
of ' La Poste' had a large fire made in the sallc a 
manger, and our tea-table was set close to the cheer- 
ful blaze, which was enjoyed highly, not only by 
ourselves, but by several parties of ladies and elderly 
gentlemen who came in after us quite chilled. We 



SPLUGEN. 



117 



found them sociable and agreeable in conversation. 
Our host gave us for supper a couple of wild fowl, 
new to us, called ponies de ncigc. 

" gth mo. i6th. — Again we rose with the dawn, 
having a long drive before us, and the weather giv- 
ing signs of a change. How charming it has been ! 
We breakfasted at a blazing fire, and left Spliigen at 
six, having added our recommendation to the nu- 
merous others in the landlord's book. . . . Spliigen 
is a beautiful little village in the pastoral valley of the 
Rhein-wald, and at the point of departure of the two 
Alpine passes, the Spliigen and the Bernardino. We 
ascended the long slopes of the Bernardino, the green 
valley of the Hinter-Rhine. The grass was spark- 
ling with dewdrops, shepherds driving their goats to 
pasture, sharp granite peaks pierced the clouds, and 
the rounded mountain summits were white with new- 
fallen snow. It was pleasant to be again on the 
banks of the Rhine, which we had seen a noble river 
flowing between castle-crowned heights, and again, 
near Schaffhausen, a miniature Niagara. Here it was 
a frolicsome stream that one could almost leap over ; 
we were only ten miles from its source. . . . 

" As we rose higher there was more wildness than 
beauty in the landscape ; the dark-frowning, gigantic 
mass of the Moschel-horn was very grand. The 
mountain over which we were travelling derives its 
name from a pious missionary, St. Bernardin, of 
Siena, who preached the gospel in the fifteenth cen- 
tury in these unfrequented valleys. When we reached 
the summit of the pass, which is three hundred feet 



Il8 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

higher than that of the Spliigen, we were surprised 
to find a beautiful Httle lake — the Lago Moesola — 
the source of the Moesa, which now became our 
companion during the greater part of the day, . . . 

" We finally came to the point where the Ber- 
nardino road joins the St. Gothard, and the postil- 
ion made believe he could not take us on the St. 
Gothard route without going to Bellinzona, which 
would have occasioned the loss of an hour or two. 
But Breitschmidt foreseeing this, had obtained from 
the maitrc dc la Poste a writing to the effect we need 
not go there. 

" It is very amusing to see Breitschmidt pay the 
postilions. They try every possible means to impose 
upon him, but he knows all their tricks. There is 
a tariff of prices fixed by law, but if they drive well 
he gives them a little more. Sometimes, when they 
are dissatisfied, he takes back their bonne-main and 
gives them a smaller piece. Sometimes they try to 
persuade him, telling him they know the kind-look- 
ing ladies in the carriage would let him give them 
more, but generally they scold and grumble. . . . 
All being in Italian or German, we seldom understand 
a word, but we gather a great deal from their ges- 
tures, which are very amusing. 

" The view is exc'eedingly fine at the junction of 
the two roads — the Bernardino and the St. Gothard 
— where three valleys meet, all bounded by noble 
ranges of mountains. Our route was now on the 
St, Gothard, bordering the river Ticino, whose trans- 
parent waters were of a beautiful pale green, whitened 



DEVI us BRIDGE. 



119 



by the foam of many a tiny cascade, as it rushed 
over its rocky bed." 

In all these valleys they were especially struck 
with the size and luxuriance of the chestnut-trees. 

" It was dark when we arrived at Faido ; the 
evening star shone brightly, and we felt inclined to ask 
it ' What of Mont Blanc ?' over whose snowy summit 
we had seen it stand like a sparkling gem at Chamo- 
nix. We have travelled ninety miles to-day, with so 
little fatigue we could have gone on to Airolo." 

This part of the route, however, was too fine to be 
lost in darkness. 

The next morning they reached the Dazio Grande, 
" a gorge that we thought equalled, if it did not sur- 
pass in beauty combined with grandeur, every other 
we had seen ; not so terrific as the gorge of Gondo, 
and not so wonderful as the Via Mala, but exceed- 
ingly picturesque. It is a rent in the Monte Piot- 
tino, nearly a mile long, and extremely winding and 
narrow." 

The scenery all the way to Airolo was very fine, 
but here they entered the region of clouds, and every- 
thing was hidden but the masterly engineering of 
the road itself. Descending the Swiss side of the 
pass, they dined at Hospenthal, and soon reached the 
famous Devil's Bridge. 



I20 ^^lEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" The Reuss rushes down this savage gorge in a 
lofty cataract, and a powerful current of wind blows 
back the spray with mighty force. High and precip- 
itous walls of rock hem the river in on both sides. . . 
We thought of the awful scenes which had taken 
place there in 1799, when two armies successively, in 
little more than a month, were driven through this 
fearful chasm, and many of the poor soldiers precipi- 
tated into the abyss below." 

It was an afternoon of golden sunshine, as com- 
pletely in accord with the rich pastoral beauty of the 
lower valley as clouds and gloom had been with the 
stony desolation of the upper pass, or the Devil's 
Bridge with its tales of cruelty and blood. They 
stopped for the night at Fluellen, and heard the watch- 
man go his rounds, " singing at the end of each hour 
a stanza in German : ' Hark, ye neighbors, hear me 
tell,' etc." 

They had now nearly completed their circuit 
through Switzerland and Northern Italy, and were 
almost at their starting-point again. The Alps had 
become like old friends, and these were to be their 
last days among them. The Bay of Uri, in which the 
utmost ideal of lake and mountain beauty seems to 
culminate, where Schiller's " William Tell" takes the 
place of Baedecker as guide-book, and where every 
cliff and cove is part of the scenery of the drama, 



• L UCERNE. 1 2 1 

was the only arm of the lake they had not seen be- 
fore. The party believed in the Swiss hero of free- 
dom, as all Americans are bound to do ; at all events, 
if they had any historical doubts, there is no record 
of them. It was now so late in the season they were 
almost the only passengers, and they could scarcely 
have had a more beautiful and congenial Sabbath- 
day's journey. They pass from side to side of the 
boat, as each turn of the varied shore brings into 
view some new beauty, and look up the green 
slopes of the Rigi, remembering their eagerness for 
a first distant glimpse of the coy Jungfrau. At 
eleven o'clock they were in their pleasant rooms at 
the Schweitzerhof in Lucerne, reading their home 
letters with thankful hearts. A sunset walk along 
the lake-shore, with the snow peaks towering above 
it bathed in rose color, and a beautiful moonlight view 
from their chamber windows, rounded the day, — their 
last Sunday in Switzerland. They left Lucerne Sep- 
tember 20th by diligence, and from a pass of the Un- 
terhanenstein, cii route for Bale, had their last glimpse 
of the Alps, — a magnificent " semicircle of seventy 
miles' radius, — Glarus, VYallenstock, Titlis ; the Ber- 
nese Oberland with our favorite Finsteraarhorn, 
Monch, Eiger, and Jungfrau distinctly seen glowing 
with rosy light above the snow-line, while their bases 

were bathed in the softest tints of blue and violet." 

II 



1 2 2 MEMOIR OF MARY A NNA L ONGSTRE TJi. 

They enjoyed it the more as it was the longed-for 
distant view they had missed at Berne. 

The next day the party were at Strasburg, from 
which they would gladly have visited the. haunts 
and grave of Oberlin, but the time of sailing was 
drawing near, and they could not linger even an 
additional day. The Cathedral, with its cloud- 
piercing spire and curious old clock, interested 
them ; but by noon they were in the train for Paris, 
and before eleven o'clock that evening in their rooms 
at the Hotel Windsor, Rue de Rivoli, opposite the 
Tuileries. 

The traveller's journal at Paris has perhaps less 
animation than in any part of the tour. The fasci- 
nations of Europe are by this time counteracted by 
a much stronger magnet. 

" Our pleasure in reaching Paris," writes Miss 
Mary Anna, " is almost destroyed by hearing from 
B. S. & Co. that the 'Arctic,' and not the 'At- 
lantic,' is to sail for America on the 19th of next 
month, on which day we had been looking forward 
to embarking for dear, dear home." 

The weather, too, was cold and rainy, and there 
was no doubt a reaction from the bracing air of 
Switzerland ; the home budget, that best of tonics, 
did not come with the usual regularity, and the joy- 



PARIS. 



123 



ous energy that made the long days of Alpine trav- 
elling so delightful sensibly flags. 

"We are all well, and Paris is very fine, if we only 
had spirits to enjoy it. Is it not droll to be out of 
spirits in Paris ? . . . We have been comparatively idle 
since we came here, but we mean to go to work again 
industriously to-morrow, and when you think of us 
at Versailles, St. Cloud, Port Royal, the Louvre, etc., 
you may be sure we are enjoying a great deal in 
spite of everything. Tell the boys to study hard, to 
be ready to come to this wonderful country. Al- 
most every spot of ground teems with historic 
interest." 

Few people can live upon sight-seeing alone ; and 
city sight-seeing especially, when one is homesick, is 
not exhilarating. But it is clearly a duty to see Paris 
now they are there, so they pay their first visit to the 
Louvre, and conscientiously begin upon its seven miles 
of paintings. The effort is not quite without reward. 
The tender simplicity of Murillo's Madonnas gives 
them true pleasure, Gerard Dow's Old Couple read- 
ing the Bible touch them, and the portrait of the Lady 
Abbess, the Mere Agnes Arnauld, has an interest 
for them quite apart from its merits as a work of 
art. They spend " several hours in the Italian, 
Flemish, and Dutch schools," and another day stay 
from eleven until four in the afternoon notine all 



124 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



they can of the contents not only of the picture- 
galleries, but of the endless sa/les and inusees. 
There is something heroic in their perseverance. 
Hawthorne himself, wandering through the mazes of 
the British Museum, has moments in which he can 
" wish that the Elgin marbles and frieze of the 
Parthenon were all burnt into lime!" and most 
travellers must recall moods of weariness quite as 
heretical. 

One day they drive to Pere la Chaise. The 
stony avenues, artificial emblems, and French sen- 
timent are not elevating, but they find some interest 
in the great names commemorated on the tombs, 
and thoroughly enjoy a visit afterwards to the old 
Abbey Church of St. Denis. 

Notwithstanding the dull weather, the party go 
twice to Versailles, where the pomp and circum- 
stance, and still more the tragedy and pathos of 
French history, grow real to them ; the little Tri- 
anon is inseparable from the name and fate of Marie 
Antoinette. On one of these occasions, in a pour- 
ing rain, they drive on to Port Royal, hoping to 
find some remnant of the convent once such a 
centre of spiritual life. But a group of homely 
farm buildings stands upon the site, and scarcely a 
vestige of the old monastery can they trace. 

October 7th they leave Paris for Havre, stopping 



ROUEN. 



125 



a few hours on the way at Rouen, whose rich old 
Church of St. Ouen they think only inferior to the 
great cathedrals of Cologne and Milan. 

'•' But no part delighted us more than the reflec- 
tion of the whole interior froin the mirror-like sur- 
face of the marble bcniticr. Descending arches seemed 
to join the ascending, and the richly-painted windows 
shone with added lustre." 

They did not overlook the fine old Palais de Jus- 
tice, with its beautiful fagades, lining three sides of a 
square, at once rich and delicate in design ; its hall, 
where the Parliament of Normandy used to meet, 
ceiled with carved oak, now dark with age, in fine 
contrast with the gold decoration. They walked 
through the picturesque " street of the Grosse Hor- 
loge, spanned by an antique clock built over a 
gateway, and saw adjoining, the tower whence the 
curfew is tolled every evening; went to the spot 
where Joan of Arc was burned alive in 143 1, and 
saw the chapel where she was forced to confess her- 
self a sorceress ;" and did not fail to remember that 
" it was in this city that William the Conqueror was 
deserted in his dying moments by his sons and cour- 
tiers, and his body lay stripped and unburied, while 
a stranger provided for its interment." 

It is dark, rainy, and dismal when they reach 



126 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

Havre, but the crossing is once more exception- 
ally smooth, and when the inevitable English fog 
that received them has cleared away, other clouds 
lighten with it. The Isle of Wight looks very 
beautiful in the genial sunshine as the little Cowes 
steamer glides along the shore, and something of 
the holiday gladness of Switzerland touches all its 
pleasant pictures, — the ruins of Netley Abbey in the 
distance ; Norris Castle, the royal palace and grounds 
of Osborne. 

The reverent English observance of Sunday at 
Ryde is very grateful to them. There is no meet- 
ing, so they drive to Legh Richmond's ancient 
church at Brading, " the air balmy, the birds sing- 
ing, everything breathing gentleness and peace." A 
few hours later we find them at the picturesque 
cottage-inn at Shanklin. 

" The glass doors of the parlors open on a green 
lawn, with fine old trees, whose trunks are covered 
with ivy. There is a beautiful view of the sea be- 
yond; myrtles, roses, and passion-flowers nearly 
cover the front of the cottage. Before dinner we 
took a delightful walk along the shore and through 
the Chine, — a miniature gorge, with a tiny stream 
and waterfall. The whole of it looked to us, who 
had so lately seen the Gorge of Gondo, Via Mala, 
and Devil's Bridge, like a pretty appendage to a 



LONDON. 



127 



gentleman's pleasure-grounds." Not so the sea. 
"After dinner Mary and I walked again on the 
shore. The weather had changed, the wind was 
high, and we enjoyed the dash and rolling of the 
waves." 

October iith the little party went up to London. 
It was not a favorable time to see the city. The 
National Gallery was closed, Hyde Park was de- 
serted, the skies were dark and gloomy, and home 
letters still delayed. They felt, too, the need of 
some one to plan and arrange for them. The "mag- 
nificent distances" of London were perplexing, and 
the courier, himself a stranger in England, was often 
at a loss, though still devoted to their interests. 
But once more they set out bravely, visit the Tower, 
St. Paul's, Thames Tunnel, and in the long morn- 
ings really study the great Abbey and the British Mu- 
seum. At the latter place, says Miss Mary Anna, " I 
could not have believed I should be so delighted. 
For more than two hours I was riveted to the room 
containing the Elgin marbles. It is wonderful that 
mutilated groups of statuary, headless sometimes, 
and sometimes without arms or feet, can give such 
intense pleasure. The Assyrian remains are also 
exceedingly interesting, perhaps even more so than 
the Greek marbles." 

The crowd of gay equipages, equestrians, and 



128 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

promenaders, which make Hyde Park in the season 
so characteristic a feature of London, was entirely 
absent; but, perhaps on that very account, its extent, 
sylvan beauty, and complete seclusion from the com- 
mercial whirl were the more striking. 

"You can have no idea," writes Miss M. A., "of 
the extent and beauty of these parks ; the impressfon 
they make in this great metropolis is wonderful. We 
pass in a moment from the din and bustle of Picca- 
dilly into the refreshing quiet of the country; cows 
and sheep are grazing on the greenest of lawns, chil- 
dren playing under fine old trees, and swans sailing 
majestically with other water-fowl on the clear lakes. 
. . . We have seen nothing to be compared with them 
except at Versailles." 

On Saturday, October 15th, they went out to Tot- 
tenham to spend the Sunday with their friends, Rob- 
ert, Sarah, and Anne Foster. The warm atmosphere 
of friendly hospitality, the pretty tea-table, the cheer- 
ful, home-like fireside, were grateful to every sense. 
"Indeed," writes Miss M. A., "we are as happy as 
we can be without letters from home." 

Returning to London for one more day of visiting, 
sight-seeing, and shopping, their trunks being packed 
by Breitschmidt with astonishing skill and celerity, 
they left on the i8th for Norfolk, to visit, by invita- 
tion, some members of the Gurney family who had 



AN ENGLISH VICARAGE. 



129 



been absent during their previous stay in England. 
As one member of the party had not been to Earl- 
ham, they drove directly there on arriving at Nor- 
wich. 

" The weather was unusually fine, and the sunlight 
threw the loveliest glow over the smooth-shaven lawn 
and rich woods. I had hoped to see the garden 
' chrysanthemumized,' but the season was still too 
early. We walked through the house, and Mary 
was delighted ; then casting another long, lingering 
look at the view from the drawing-room windows, — 
the bridge, the fine old trees, the study green, etc., — 
we returned to Norwich." 

The same afternoon they went by rail to Lowes- 
toft, where Rev. Francis Cunningham was waiting to 
take them to the vicarage. Mrs. Cunningham had 
long been familiar to them by name and character, 
as well as intimate association with a brother and 
sister of wider fame, — Mrs. Fry, Sir T. Fowell Bux- 
ton, etc., — and the personal meeting was full of inter- 
est. To Mary W., the young girl of the party, the 
whole visit in Norfolk and the familiar intercourse 
with people she had known only in books was like 
a page of romance. Perhaps her enthusiastic descrip- 
tion may give something of the impressions of the 
whole party. 



I^o MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" It was quite dark when we reached the station 
at Lowestoft ; but before the doors were open we 
heard a kind voice calHng our names, and Francis 
Cunningham made himself known to us, conducted 
us to a carriage he had waiting, and soon put us 
down at the door of ojie of the most dehghtful and 
hospitable mansions in England. Mrs. Cunningham, 
now quite feeble, — being upwards of seventy, yet 
still retaining an energetic and active mind, — came 
forward with such a welcome ! leading us into the 
drawing-room, a picture of taste, elegance, and com- 
fort. There was an introduction to two young ladies, 
visitors — a little talk, and then we were handed over 
to Mrs. Taylor, the housekeeper, who showed us to 
our apartments. A bright fire burned in each, and 
every luxury a queen might desire was ours in lovely 
Lowestoft." 

The long dinner was conversational, animated, and 
altogether delightful; so, too, the evening that fol- 
lowed, "passed in the bewitching drawing-room, look- 
ing over Mrs. Cunningham's paintings and her port- 
folio of Swiss sketches taken this summer. Tea was 
served, some beautiful hymns sung, Mrs. C. accom- 
panying them on the piano ; then a psalm read, and 
a prayer offered for us and all belonging to us by 
Mr. C, who, you will recollect, is a clergyman, and 
we retired very late to our lovely chambers. The 
view of the German Ocean was very fine in the bril- 
liant moonlight, and enjoying this, as our rooms ad- 
joined, we three talked over the memorable events 
of this bright day. 



NORTHREPPS. 



I^I 



"Our early breakfast was served in another 
charming drawing-room, whose noble bay-window 
looked abroad over the sea, yet glowing with the 
tints of sunrise. All seemed to regret our brief so- 
journ ; even the servants (most of them old family 
pieces devoted to every being bearing the name 
of Gurney) thronged about us, begging to have 
their ' kind duty' carried to dear Mrs. Gurney in 
America." 

Returning to Norwich, a charming drive of twenty- 
one miles brought them to Northrepps, the home of 
another sister of Mrs. Fry, the dowager Lady Bux- 
ton, widow of Sir T. F. Buxton. 

"Part of the way," continues the same lively 
young writer, " lay through a sporting country well 
known to Sir Fowell and his fleet hunter, and the 
copses and furze, ditches, hedges, and five-barred 
gates gave us an excellent idea of an English hunt- 
ing-ground. It is now the height of the sporting 
season, and we were continually on the lookout for 

' The deer sweeping by, the hounds in full cry, 
And the hunter's horn a ringing.' 

" We started up numbers of beautiful pheasants, 
and I delighted to people the scene with my imagined 
idea of a hunting party, but that was the only kind 
we were favored with. At the end of this lovely 
drive, — not a mile too long, — we came to the gate 



132 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



of the park, and a long, beautiful winding carriage- 
way brought us to the door of Northrepps Hall. 
Two tall footmen handed us into the drawing-room, 
where Lady Buxton, her daughter Richenda, and 
daughter-in-law Rachel Gurney Buxton all sat en- 
gaged in reading and sewing. . , . We were most 
courteously received, and after an hour's conversa- 
tion, lunch, and a little time spent in playing with 
Rachel G. Buxton's sweet little flock of children, 
Lady Buxton's coach was brought to take us over 
to Cromer." 

" It rained so heavily," the diary continues, " that 
we could not alight from the carriage at the old 
Overstrand Church, but we saw the ancient ruined 
chancel overgrown with ivy, and had a glimpse of 
the tombs of Sir T. F. Buxton and his daughter 
Priscilla Johnstone. Our visit to Northrepps Cot- 
tage was delightful, — Anna Gurney all brightness 
and kindness, — saw her drawing-room, library, 
music-room, etc., and the cockatoo. She wheeled 
herself with great dexterity to the hall door to show 
us her little greenhouse, the avenue of trees, her 
rabbits burrowing on the hill-side, etc. . . . The 
cottage was half covered with ivy, and the trees very 
fine ; one, a copper beech, of the richest orange 
color." 

Returning to London on the 20th for a few hours 
of business, final packing, etc., they went the same 
day to Oxford. 



OXFORD. 



133 



" It was a fine, bright afternoon, and the ride was 
one of the most beautiful we have had in England. 
The autumnal tints of the foliage were almost as 
brilliant as our own : rich brown, orange, yellow, but 
no crimson. We had a distant view of Windsor 
Castle, passed Herschel's Observatory, etc., reaching 
Oxford at dusk. Heard Great Tom ring one hun- 
dred and one times for one hundred and one students 
at Christ Church College." 

The next morning everything was shrouded in 
mist and rain, and the party lost all the delight of 
rambling down the famous High Street, so admired 
by Macaulay, and among the beautiful college quad- 
rangles ; even the fine interiors, the treasures of the 
Bodleian Library, etc., could scarcely be seen to ad- 
vantage, yet something of all within and without was 
seen and thoroughly enjoyed, and in a few hours they 
were on the way to Warwick. Here was a new con- 
tretemps, — a death had lately occurred in the ducal 
family, and the castle was closed to visitors ; only an 
outside view of the imposing battlemented old pile 
could be had, and of all its feudal heirlooms they 
saw only the armor, punch-bowl, etc., of the gigantic, 
half-fabulous Guy, Earl of Warwick ; and though the 
elements at least seem to have been propitious to the 
pleasant drive to Kenilworth, past Guy's Cliff, etc., a 
great storm of wind and rain again overtook them on 

12 



134 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



reaching the ruins. After all the one thing entirely 
satisfactory in this celebrated neighborhood was the 
"charming shut-in evening spent in quiet resting at 
the ' Warwick Arms.' " 

The sisters had accepted an invitation from their 
friend Mrs. Braithwaite to visit her at Kendal ; and 
her cordial welcome on their arrival, Saturday even- 
ing, October 23d, the circle of interesting friends as- 
sembled to meet them, the long bright supper-table, 
the Sunday that followed passed in congenial fellow- 
ship, the evening spent in interesting conversation, 
all made another refreshing break in these last busy 
days of sight-seeing. 

" October 24///. — Intended to leave at 8 a.m., but 
heavy rain detained us till after lunch. At 2 p.m. 
railroad to Winandermere. Met by W. Crewdson 
with another note from Wm. Ball, inviting us to Glen 
Rothay. Drive round the head of the lake and to 
Grasmere ; stopped at the church to see the graves 
of Wordsworth and Coleridge. Then to Fox Howe, 
a beautiful home near Ambleside. Saw Dr. Arnold's 
wife and three of his children as we were leaving for 
Glen Rothway. Beautiful sunset. 

" Nothing could exceed the cordial kindness of 
our friends Wm. and Anne Ball ; had two hours' 
pleasant conversation with them before Wilson and 
Margaret Crewdson came with their daughters Maria 
and Fanny. All had been on the Continent, and were 



EDINBURGH. 



135 



much interested in hearing about our route. They 
love to talk of the Oberland, Rosenlaui, Splugen, etc. 

" 2^th. — The view from the drawing-room windows 
this morning is enchanting, — Rydal Lake and islands, 
Loughrigg, Knab Scar; the rich autumnal tints 
reflected in the water, and contrasting finely with the 
soft green lawn and evergreens. Every object charm- 
ing, and the tout ensemble surpassingly beautiful. I 
could have looked at it the whole day. A mirror 
opposite the bow-window almost doubles the effect. 
Delighted with drive to Keswick and around Der- 
wentwater ; beautiful sunshine lighted up the bright 
foliage. 

" Cowper may well call this climate ' deformed 
with dripping rains.' Ventured, however, to go on by 
the side of Ulleswater to Patterdale. Kirkstone Pass 
very wild, reminding us of St. Bernardino; bare, 
stony, steep hill-sides, mountain rivulets, and after- 
wards beautiful bright foliage covering the knolls of 
the mountains. . . . Reached Edinburgh at 9 p.m." 

Of the sisters' visit to Macaulay's " three most 
beautiful cities of the world," — Genoa, Oxford, Edin- 
burgh, — the first was the only one really successful. 
The northern capital now certainly justified the least 
flattering of its many sobriquets, — " Auld Reekie." 
For the entire two days of their stay Scotch mists, 
proverbially worse even than English fogs, wrapped 
the whole city and its beautiful surroundings. But 
it v/as a glad time nevertheless, for some of the un- 



136 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



accountably missing home letters were found wait- 
ing for them at their hotel, and in the joy of good 
tidings from America all minor disappointments 
were forgotten. 

The fine masses of Salisbury Crag and Arthur's 
Seat rising behind Holyrood were hidden in the fog, 
but they saw the ruined chapel whose gable and 
Gothic windows had grown so familiar in the well- 
worn school drawing-model, and close by the little 
narrow, dingy rooms of the old palace, the scene of 
so large a part of the romance and tragedy of Queen 
Mary's history. They were of course shown the 
traditional Rizzio blood-stains on the floor, and then 
suddenly stepping into the realities of modern life, 
the suite of apartments occupied by Queen Victoria 
on her way to Balmoral. They drove, too, through 
the Canongate, the dark old tortuous streets, and 
grim, toppling, smoke-blackened houses, looking still 
grimmer and blacker in the dull atmosphere; but of 
the stately and picturesque beauty of the modern 
city they gained little idea until the morning of their 
departure, when the weather cleared, and they had a 
really fine view from Calton Hill. 

The three friends were to sail in the " Baltic" on 
November 2d. The few days intervening were filled 
with farewell visits to friends in and near Liverpool, 
a brief trip to the old town of Chester, shopping and 



A WINTER PASSAGE. 



137 



packing, the faithful courier serving them with affec- 
tionate zeal to the very last. Full and satisfactory 
letters from home again cheered them on the e\^e of 
the vo}'age, and friendly faces, bidding them good- 
speed, watched them as they pushed from the docks. 
The passage was rough, and Miss Susan seems to 
have been the only member of the party who 
attempted a journal. 

"The 'Baltic' did not feel like home as the 'Atlan- 
tic' would have done ; state-room very far from the 
dining-saloon. Strong head-winds induced the cap- 
tain to take the north channel, and we lost sight of 
land immediately. 

"Of the next week I have little recollection, except 
of heavy squalls, wretched headaches. Generally two 
hours every day on deck, though very cold. Captain 
very polite, desirous of making us comfortable; set- 
tees placed near the wheel-houses, but rough seas 
and high winds at last forbade going on deck ; for- 
ward deck often two or three feet under water; waves 
piled almost mountain high ; gale at one time so 
heavy the vessel almost stopped, and rolled so that 
we could not sleep ; very weary holding fast all night. 

" ^tli. — Oh, the discomforts of a winter passage ! 
Cabin cold and dreary ; groups of disconsolate beings 
on deck looking as if anticipating the guillotine. I hope 
never again to see the ocean except fi'om the shore. 

"The first slight diminution of the pitching relieved 
us greatly. G. Parrish and Wm. Hallowell most kind 

12* 



138 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



and attentive ; A. Piatt very kind, always ready to 
serve us; she and her husband one evening brought 
milk and hot water all the way from the dining-room 
to our state-room. Elizabeth, the stewardess, in and 
out like a flash. 

" I2th. — Still very rough, but wonderful abatement 
in sea-sickness. Those who had resolved never \.o go 
to sea again on any consideration, now say what they 
will do //"they ever try it again. Some one inquired 
what railroad trains had come in during the night, 
passengers began to appear in such numbers in the 
dining-room. Beautiful singing one evening by one 
of the waiters. 

"A large party did justice to the captain's dinner; 
many speeches were made and highly applauded. A 
subscription had been taken up as a present to Captain 
Comstock in acknowledgment of his devotion to his 
duties. He was much pleased, and made a very good 
speech, requesting that the money might be shared 
with his officers. The deck was afterwards nearly 
filled with promenaders enjoying the moonlight." 

They reached the port of New York on the 14th. 
Many friends were among the crowd upon the pier 
to welcome them. The joy of meeting needs no 
description, still less the grateful happiness of mother 
and aunt, when an unbroken family circle once more 
gathered round the fireside at No. 3 North Eleventh 
Street, in sober, unpicturesque, but still dear and 
home-like Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE SECOND SCHOOL. 



The succeeding winter, 1853-54, was a season of 
comparative rest. Miss Mary Anna was committed 
to no school-engagement of any kind, but, perhaps 
on that very account, felt a renewal of energy and a 
strong impulse to begin once more the favorite pur- 
suit of her life. 

The following sketch of this period is given by 
one who bore an intimate share in the labors and 
successes of the second school, and was at all times 
a valued and trusted aid to the principal : 

"In the spring of 1851 I left school, having been 
under dear Miss Mary Anna's care four years, pre- 
paring to be a teacher. Several times during the 
last year she had spoken of giving me a place in 
her school after a while, when I should be a little 
older, and my relations with ' the girls' a little less 
intimate. A year later Miss M. A. closed the old 
school, as she and Miss Susan wished to spend some 
months in Europe, and were not sure of being back 
to resume their duties with their usual punctuality. 

" They came in the following November, and from 

139 



140 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



that time all Miss Mary Anna's thoughts were given 
to the small school of young girls which she meant 
to open the following year. The main object of this 
was the education of her niece, Anna Morris, but 
she had already, even in those i^\N months, felt the 
need of having young people around her. 

"The new school was opened in September, 1854, 
in the old school-house on Cherry Street. At first 
the number of pupils received was small, and, if I 
remember right, Miss Mary Anna and I were the 
only teachers who spent the whole morning there. 
There were, of course, other teachers, who came in 
by the hour. Very soon the number of pupils 
increased, and then Hannah Shipley joined us. 
'Teacher Hannah' the girls called her, and it would 
have been impossible to find a better assistant, for 
both teacher and pupils. 

" Hannah and I were nearer the age of the girls, 
and might naturally have been supposed to be 
able to sympathize more heartily with all their little 
troubles than Miss Mary Anna could, but she really 
was the centre of everything; teachers as well as 
pupils felt her wise and loving rule. Our position 
was always perfectly defined, — a certain and dignified 
one. There was no doubt in our minds, when giv- 
ing a Well-deserved reproof to some delinquent child, 
as to whether we should be upheld. No politic fear 
of giving offence to an influential pupil ever led 
Miss Mary Anna to reverse our decisions. She had 
chosen us with care, believing us fitted for the posi- 
tions to which she assigned us. The result was that 



THE FILBERT STREET SCHOOL. j^j 

the discipline and order in our classes was as good 
as in her own. T have often been struck with this 
in later years on hearing of the troubles of assistant 
teachers in large schools, where they are too often 
looked upon as mere drudges. In this, as in every 
other particular, she showed her wisdom, her clear 
head, and her power of seeing both sides of a ques- 
tion. She will always stand out in the minds of those 
who had the high privilege of knowing her well, as 
a marvellous example of a woman, brought up with 
a strictness which in these days might almost be 
called narrow, whose natural liberality enabled her 
to rise superior to those limitations. 

" It was in the third or fourth year of this school 
that the Cherry Street premises first seemed too 
small. In the old da}-s the number of pupils was 
limited to fort}'-four girls ; now there were sixty, with 
constant, earnest entreaties from eager parents that 
the number might be increased. The corps of 
teachers, too, was constantly enlarged. Whenever 
Miss Mary Anna heard of a first-rate teacher in any 
branch of study, she always tried to give her pupils 
the benefit of his or her instruction, regardless of 
the cost. She has often told me that when the ex- 
penses of the school were paid, she meant to give 
away the profits. 

"In the autumn of 1857, Miss Mary Anna rented 
the large house at the corner of Filbert and Juniper 
Streets. The school was moved there during the 
Christmas holidays, ready for the beginning of Janu- 
ary, 1858. Elizabeth Coonis, an elderly and very 



H- 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



respectable colored woman, with her family, lived in 
the back buildings. She not only acted as janitress, 
but cooked every day sundry biscuits, tarts, and 
cakes, which were temptingly spread out on a neat 
table at half-past eleven o'clock, that the girls might 
buy their luncheon of her instead of going to a 
neighboring pastry-cook to find something much 
less wholesome and less carefully prepared. This 
was only another instance of Miss Mary Anna's 
thoughtful care for her pupils' bodies as well as their 
minds. 

" The rest of the house was mainly occupied by 
the school. There were two large school-rooms in 
the second story, the same in the third, beside two in 
the second story of the back buildings. The fourth 
story was fitted up with bars, ropes, mattresses, and 
other gymnastic paraphernalia. Here, for a slight 
additional charge, the pupils whose parents wished it 
had the benefit of the best gymnastic instruction. 

" It has been objected by some people, and indeed 
I think by a large-minded and very learned physician 
among others, that Miss Mary Anna expected too 
close application, too severe a mental strain from her 
pupils, but I am quite sure that no unprejudiced per- 
son who really understood her system could have 
believed such a thing. She gave her strong voice 
for the ' higher education of women' in its highest 
sense, and believed that intellectual improvement 
should not fill more than its own share of the girls' 
time. Rational amusement and healthful exercise 
she always encouraged; but she could not bear to 



ASSISTANT TEACHERS. 



H3 



see time wasted in dawdling and frivolity. In her 
scheme of life there was no time for such things. 
Each child was carefully considered, that the weak 
might not be strained in the effort to keep up with 
the strong, and at the monthly teachers' meetings 
each pupil's capabilities were discussed, so that every 
girl might be fairly placed. 

" No one could have held to her own opinions 
with less pertinacity than Miss Mary Anna. She 
listened with respect to the humblest among her 
teachers, and accepted their views and amendments 
whenever they were really good. Indeed, when I 
look back to those days when I had the happiness of 
being always near her, I am surprised afresh with 
the humility and large generosity for the feelings 
and opinions of others that she invariably showed. 
In all the years that I was working under her she 
never spoke sharply or impatiently to me, though I 
know I must often have deserved it. She had the 
happy gift of being able to draw the best out of all, of 
making them, for the time at least, what she wished. 

' She never found fault with you, never implied 
Your wrong by her right, and yet men at her side 
Grew nobler, girls purer, as though the whole town. 
E'en the children, were gladder who plucked at her gown.' 

" And now, alas ! we can only look back. The 
gentle face and sympathetic voice are lost to us on 
this earth, and we can only ask God's blessing on the 
faithful work of our dear friend and teacher, and 
strive to walk in her footsteps, making ourselves, with 



144 



MEsMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



God's help, such as she would have wished and 
approved. 

"M. L. Moss." 



In 1864 the faithful mother, who through a life- 
time of frail health had, nevertheless, says Miss 
Susan, " looked well to the ways of her household," 
began visibly to decline. In the early summer of 
1865 she was taken to the home of some kind 
friends in the country, with a faint hope that the 
change of air and the freedom from all city noise 
and excitement might revive her. But the end was 
already near, and in a few weeks, with only her three 
daughters by her bedside, she quietly passed away. 
For years her daughter Susan had been her especial 
and untiring attendant, but all her children were de- 
voted to her comfort, and never left her long at a 
time. She was a woman of unusual purity and 
truthfulness, combined with the greatest humility of 
character. 

The school now numbered nearly ninety pupils, 
with twenty-seven teachers, only six of whom, how- 
ever, were employed all the time. They were so 
well trained and so conscientious in the fulfilment of 
their duties that Miss Longstreth, who again felt the 
need of a longer rest than the ordinary vacation 
afforded, was able to leave them for a time, and ac- 



MERRICK STREET. 



145 



cordingly joined her brother and sister, Mr. and 
Mrs. Israel Morris, with a party of nephews, nieces, 
and friends, in a second visit to Europe. The route 
taken was much the same as that in 1853, except 
that more time was given to Holland, and a brief 
visit paid to Rome. On the return late in November, 
after a delightful and refreshing summer, Miss Mary 
Anna received a welcome from the school that deeply 
gratified her. She had given as a watch-word in her 
absence one of her favorite mottoes : " Not slothful 
in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," and 
these words, formed in evergreens on the walls of 
the school-rooms, were a pleasant greeting to her 
eyes, while she had every evidence that both teachers 
and pupils had earnestly tried to act upon them. 

In 1867 the property at the corner of Filbert and 
Juniper Streets being needed as part of the site of 
the new Masonic Temple, the school was removed 
to Merrick Street, still conveniently near to Miss 
Longstreth's residence. The neighborhood has since 
so completely changed that it is difficult to fancy the 
four Penn squares, with their fresh grass and groves 
of trees, where the great pile of white marble Public 
Buildings now rises; and opposite, facing this wooded 
enclosure, the row of pleasant old-fashioned dwelling- 
houses, torn down in 1880 to be replaced by the 
Broad Street Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad 

13 



146 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

Company. It was in one of these houses that the 
steadily enlarging school was established. The 
methods, as well as the scale on which the sisters 
had started forty years earlier, were now greatly 
modified. One who was thoroughly familiar with 
the school at this its latest stage gives the following 
account : 

" For more than ten years it was the writer's privi- 
lege to see and note daily the care that was taken 
to make all things work smoothly in the grooves of 
school-life, and among the many memories of those 
days it seems best to cull those that may aid other 
teachers in making their own lives, as well as those 
of their pupils, happier, better, and more successful. 

"One especial feature was the sewing-classes, which 
met once a week. The younger girls began by learn- 
ing how to overscan! patch-work pieces of bright 
new calico, then they were promoted to making arti- 
cles of underwear destined for the children of the 
' Foster Home,' or some other institution; after that 
followed finer work, all intended for purposes of 
charity. The materials for this work were furnished 
by M. A. Longstreth herself; the pupils sometimes 
carrying the little finished garments to the children 
of the ' Home,' that they might be encouraged not 
only in their sewing, but m taking an interest in work 
for the poor. The last year in the sewing-class they 
filled a folio with samples of their own handiwork, 
button-holes in colored silks, darning, hemstitching, 



SE WING-CLASSES. 



147 



etc. How many mothers have laid away those blue- 
lined books, to be brought out to show their own 
little daughters what mamma did when she was a 
girl at school ! We recall one instance of a pupil 
who at home had earned an unpleasant sobriquet 
on account of her carelessness in handling her 
needle ; but one day an extra effort on her part pro- 
duced some neat hemming ; commendation was 
given, a fresh impetus received, and the needle now 
to that woman is a familiar and skilfully-handled 
instrument. 

" While the classes were busy with their sewing, 
they recited in turn a poem, or part of a poem ; then 
followed reading by the teacher from some interest- 
ing book. The ban of silence was removed from the 
sewing-classes, and the character of those half-days 
was more social than could be possible during the 
usual sessions of the school. Opportunity was thus 
afforded for the discussion of difficulties viewed from 
the stand-point of the pupil, or, as sometimes occurred, 
the poetry or the reading suggested some topic for 
a few minutes' talk by the teacher upon the motives 
and actions of life, for which there was little leisure 
on other days of the week. 

" Spelling was a strong point with Mary Anna 
Longstreth, and in teaching it she pursued a plan 
which we believe was original with her. A certain 
number of words from the spelling-book was assigned 
as the lesson ; at the hour appointed the teacher dic- 
tated the words to the class. The books were then 
collected, the exercise looked over, each misspelled 



148 MEMOIR OF MARY ANATA LONGS TRET/I. 

word marked, and the number of them noted at the 
foot of the column. Nearly all the classes spelled 
three times during the week. The following week 
the pupil copied all her misspelled words correctly, 
writing each one three times for five days in the week, 
making altogether fifteen times that she was obliged 
to correct each error. An account was taken of every 
misspelled word, and these words were added to 
every new lesson. 

" The Europe classes were another especial feature. 
Gradually finding how useful and entertaining this 
mode of instruction was becoming, Miss Mary Anna 
extended it, devoting one or two hours every week 
to imaginary journeys, aided by maps, photographs, 
guide-books, and her own personal recollections. 
Those who had already been to Europe frequently 
rejoined their old classes in order to refresh their 
memories ; those who contemplated a trip came to 
learn the best way of going, the things most worthy 
of seeing, and how to enjoy them intelligently. The 
instruction was not merely of the guide-book order. 
One drifted, in imagination, down the Rhine, while 
the long map of the winding river lay outspread 
upon the table, and the legends of the castles, the 
plans of the fortifications, etc., were explained. She 
also planned home reading on the coming lessons, 
and any fresh description from those who had lately 
visited Europe was always listened to with atten- 
tion.* 

"E. B. R." 

* Taken from " The Student" for November, 1885. 



HISTORICAL LECTURES. i^p 

Dr. Lord, who once before had given historical 
lectures in the Cherry Street school, was again 
engaged for two other courses. The pupils were 
required to make as full an abstract as possible of 
each lecture, refreshing their memory as to dates, 
epochs, etc., by reference to any historical authorities 
they wished. It was an admirable exercise in compo- 
sition as well as in history, and developed a power of 
listening with concentration which was invaluable. 

In 1876 especial attention was given to the history 
of those countries which contributed to the Centen- 
nial Exhibition, their geography, material resources, 
progress in science, art, etc. 

Visitors were rarely admitted to listen to a recita- 
tion, and the whole system of public examinations 
was discountenanced. Miss Longstreth believed 
that such exhibitions not only encourage a love of 
display, but that the most faithful and intelligent 
students are often too timid under such an ordeal 
to do themselves justice. She had her own views, 
or rather her most serious convictions, about a 
higher education for women, and if she succeeded 
in giving a lofty moral impulse to the character, and 
implanting a taste for all that would dignify and 
ennoble a woman's life, her aim was satisfied. 



13* 



CHAPTER VII. 



RETROSPECT. 



As the school enlarged and teachers were multi- 
plied, there was naturally less and less intimate in- 
tercourse between the principal and her scholars. In 
the earlier days Miss Mary Anna was like a mother in 
the midst of her family. The book lessons were sec- 
ondary ; it was the atmosphere of the school, a name- 
less something pervading it, which subdued and soft- 
ened the least impressible, and made even the most 
thoughtless more ashamed of a rude inconsiderate 
word or selfish action than of the faultiest recitation. 

A pupil of the old Cherry Street period, when both 
sisters were in their vigorous prime, thus writes : 

" It was my happy lot to be a scholar at Miss 
Longstreth's in the palmy days before ' Miss Susan' 
left the school, so that it is impossible to separate the 
two sisters in my reminiscences. 

" Memory calls up their school-room in the old 
Cherry Street house, simple in its appointments, but 
always light and cheerful, where at either end a cosey 
circle gathered around them. Happy the girls who 
could sit nearest ! 
ISO 



UNDERCURRENT OF TEACHING. 



151 



" Before the school began, as * Miss Mary Anna' 
opened the large Bible, her eyes would sometimes 
rest with special interest upon some one of the 
scholars whose mother or sister was an invalid ; and 
she would inquire so kindly after the welfare of 
these, that the whole school shared the solicitude, 
and a bond of sympathy was established between 
teachers and scholars. Thus slie gave a living com- 
mentary upon the Scripture which she was about to 
read, emphasizing the love which was its central 
teaching. 

" And trying to find the secret of the power of 
this school, I think it lay just here, in the gracious 
influences of Christian sympathy and kindness so be- 
nignly exercised, and permeating the whole system 
of its education. Beneath the book-lore was a con- 
stant undercurrent of teaching such as no books can 
give. Surely we all remember the lessons from the 
lips that were so dear to us, — lessons of courtesy and 
consideration, gentleness and refinement, which went 
far to make up our character, and have blessed us all 
our lives. The kindly amenities, so seldom practised 
toward each other by thoughtless school-girls, were 
here found to have their root in Christian charity, 
which struck deeper and brought forth better fruit 
than mere conventional politeness. 

" In later years my relations with M. A. L. changed 
somewhat, when she took me into her school as 
teacher, and I came to know and value her as a 
friend. If it were possible without drawing aside the 
veil of personal history, I should here record more 



152 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



fully her unfailing kindness and forbearance. And 
through all the years that followed, her heart was 
ever ready to enter into the joys and sorrows of my 
life, prompting deeds of thoughtful kindness at the 
needful hour. This, doubtless, is the experience of 
hundreds who would like to testify of it if they had 
the opportunity. I am glad to say it for them. 

" To the third and fourth generation her sympa- 
thies went out ; and she loved to count the hundreds 
of ' children' and ' grandchildren' whose weddings she 
had been invited to attend. 

" Nor were her interests bounded by those whom 
she had done so much to educate. Beyond her per- 
sonal sphere of influence we all know how widely 
they extended. But I leave to other hands to com- 
memorate the active benevolences which brightened 
her declining years, and left so many to mourn her 
loss. From north and south, east and west, come 
words of grateful love from the recipients of her 
bounties, as other races and other generations rise 
up to call her ' blessed.' 

" Anna Shipley." 

On the first page of the little note-book in which 
Miss Longstreth kept a memorandum of her wide- 
reaching private as well as public charities is a list 
of texts inculcating systematic almsgiving. All these 
texts we recognize as those she most sought to im- 
press upon her girls. The memory of every one 
who ever attended the school must be full of them. 



REMINISCENCES. j 5 ■> 

" Give to the Lord of thy substance, and of the first- 
fruits of all thine increase." " Give to him that ask- 
eth thee, and from him that would borrow of thee 
turn not thou away." Modern organized charity, 
no longer allowing these words as the plea of mere 
indolent money-giving, has at once widened and 
deepened their meaning, and there is no doubt that 
many a noble-hearted woman, now full of ardor in 
this great cause, has found in them her best inspira- 
tion. They have taught her to give not only of her 
silver and gold, and that with no niggard hand, but 
her time, her energies of mind and body; in short, 
the best first-fruits of all she has and is. One whose 
life well carries out these early teachings thus 
gratefully acknowledges their influence : 

"September 15th, 1885. 

" It is difficult to crystallize into words the mem- 
ories of a friend whose influence has permeated the 
thoughts and acts of a life now reaching far into 
mature womanhood. I am nevertheless grateful to 
be able to add my tribute to one who was teacher 
in years gone by, but who through a long series 
since has been a familiar counsellor. 

" Outside of the home-circle, the incentive to a 
cultivation of the intellectual powers with the stimu- 
lus to right thinking and right acting came from 
her. Her spirit was quiet and unobtrusive, but it 
vitalized the spiritual natures of those committed to 



154 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



her, and a temptation to turn aside from a strict con- 
scientiousness or obedience to the Divine Will was 
met with strengthening words of admonition and 
help. 

" She realized that education was not only accu- 
mulated knowledge but the building and develop- 
ment of character. To this end she bent all her 
energies; with what success may be judged by the 
many gifted and excellent women, once her pupils, 
now the acknowledged responsible workers and 
leaders in religious, charitable and educational fields. 
Her own simplicity of character and singleness of 
purpose made her unconscious of her power, but 
even now, when I am called to a decision requiring 
wise judgment, or a duty involving some sacrifice of 
feeling, and at times with a consciousness that it may 
not have the seal of many whose approbation would 
be dear, I find myself inwardly querying, ' Would 
Miss Mary Anna give her approval ?' So closely 
does our childhood hedge us round. 

" Her tenderness for those whose church relations 
differed from her own made a deep impression upon 
me when a girl. If any disposition was shown 
among the pupils to criticise another because of a 
different faith, the earnest reprimand was given to 
the effect, that an earthly tribunal was not the one 
where such should be arraigned. Generous in her 
own estimate of others, her example was reflected 
in the young people round her, and the exceptional 
girl felt guarded from thoughtless reproach and con- 
fident of her respect. 



HER POWER AS A TEACHER. 



155 



"This consideration for the views of others calmed 
the excitement of rival partisanship when politics 
became the theme for discussion, which often ran 
high as an approaching election excited the minds 
of the young girl pupils as well as the community 
abroad. 

"I love to dwell upon the cordial morning greet- 
ing, the sympathetic word, the encouraging look 
that helped us through many a hard day, and the 
grateful ' Well done' when the allotted task was ac- 
complished. Again and again have they come back 
fresh and helpful in the more serious duties of life, 
and doubtless will so continue, although the loving 
face may now no longer smile its welcome nor the 
voice utter its words of cheer. 

" As a teacher, her strength was not in the amount 
of knowledge at her command, nor her cleverness 
in imparting it, but in her ability to inspire her 
pupils with a desire to know — the secret of all true 
teaching. 

" As a friend, it was no transient feeling, but a 
deep, abiding interest that followed us into the varied 
experiences of life. Personally I have an unques- 
tioning assurance that her love continued to the end. 
It is a rare privilege to be the recipient of such stead- 
fast affection. Let us hope that to appreciate it and 
continue worthy of it will not be an ungrateful aim. 

" My school-life was a perpetual pleasure in her 
presence and that of the dear sister, ' Miss Susan,' 
whom I can never disassociate in all that is connected 
with those happy days. I am sure they have both 



156 



MEMOIR OF JMARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



«been thankful for the blessing intrusted to them, — 
that of giving brightness and courage to many hearts 
as years brought either joys or sorrows. 

" The golden setting of their own lives in resigna- 
tion and patient waiting until the service shall have 
ended, is the fulfilment of all that has gone before. 
Its peace rests on us as a benediction. 

"Anna Hallowell." 



CHAPTER VIII. 



CLOSE OF SCHOOL-LIFE. 



In 1847, when Miss Longstreth had already been 
teaching twenty years, she wrote in her diary, 
"Could I have but health and strength, how gladly 
would I commence another term of twenty years !" 
The wish had been realized beyond her utmost hope, 
for to the twice twenty years ten more had now been 
added. 

Almost from the beginning of her school career 

she had acted upon the advice of a long experienced 

teacher never to visit schools in the vacation, but as 

far as possible to give her mind a rest from the one 

absorbing subject. For thirty consecutive years she 

spent her summers at Newport, where the air seemed 

just the specific she needed. She would arrive early 

in July, always more or less worn by the pressure of 

closing school in the city heat of June, to find a 

second home in the same quiet, well-kept house on 

the Bay-side. A large and familiar circle surrounded 

her there, — brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews, and 

friends. The children were her especial favorites. 

14 157 



158 MEMOIR OF MARY A Nl^ A LONGSTRETH. 

The soft sea-breezes, the pleasant saih'ng excursions, 
the beautiful and varied drives, combined with this 
genial social atmosphere, acted with magical effect. 
After a short interval she usually began to arrange 
classes, etc., for the following autumn. But for sev- 
eral years even this had become an effort to her, and 
now that her working-day had rounded a full half- 
century, she felt that the evening-time of rest had 
come. The letter in which she formally announced 
her resignation tells its own story : 

"Philadelphia, 6mo. 15th, 1877. 
" My beloved Pupils : 

"The time has at last arrived when the failure of 
my strength compels me to give up the work to 
which I have devoted my life. Far from being joy- 
ful at the prospect of release from labor, the prevail- 
ing feeling of my heart is that of pain at the severing 
of the connection which has bound us together so 
happily. Although you will no longer be under my 
daily care, I shall not cease to feel sincerely inter- 
ested in your happiness, and you will find me always 
ready to serve you in any way in my power. Gladly 
would I, if my health permitted, continue to be your 
guide in study; but you will find competent teachers, 
who will satisfactorily complete your school educa- 
tion. Be faithful to them, I entreat you ; be faithful 
to yourselves; be faithful to Him who holds you 
responsible for the talents, the time, and the op- 
portunities of improvement which He gives you. 



LETTER TO HER PUPILS. jcq 

Whether your gifts be few or many, endeavor as 
good stewards, by earnest application and persevering 
industry, to improve the trusts confided to you. 
May you be enabled to render your final accounts 
with joy, and receive the blessed sentence, ' Well 
done, good and faithful servant : enter thou into the 
joy of thy Lord.' 

"Your work, the work of youth, is preparation 
for future usefulness, by the improvement and disci- 
pline of your intellectual powers, the acquisition of 
knowledge, and the formation of good habits. And, 
although the cultivation of the mind does not end 
with school-days, but is to be continued through life, 
now, while you are free from the cares of woman- 
hood, is the golden period for storing the memory, 
and laying a foundation broad and deep, on which a 
steady and permanent superstructure may hereafter 
be erected. Labor is the price of every valuable 
acquisition. Be willing, then, to pay it. Learn thor- 
oughly what you attempt to learn. Though it is 
desirable that your information should be general and 
varied, it need not be superficial. However little 
may be the amount of knowledge which you possess 
on any one subject, let that little be correct and 
thorough. Investigate, compare, reflect ; form habits 
of accuracy, attention, and patient research; acquire 
the power of concentrating and controlling your 
thoughts. Do not be afraid of difficulties. Let 
your standard be high, and your motto Excelsior. 
If your object be the highest improvement of the 
mental gifts of your Creator, for the purpose of fit- 



l5o MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

ting yourselves to accomplish the work which He 
has placed you here to perform, you cannot fail to 
derive enjoyment both from the pursuit and the 
possession of knowledge. A well-stored mind, a 
refined taste, a love for all that is beautiful, grand, 
and noble, are excellent preservatives against frivolity, 
dissipation, and idleness. 

" But it is not only in your intellectual improve- 
ment that I feel a deep interest. Your moral welfare 
is of still greater moment. For whether the sphere 
in which you are called to move be large or small, 
you have an important mission to fulfil. 

" The secret silent influence of woman all confess ; 
In humble cot or princely hall, to injure or to bless, 
Her influence is a sacred trust from Him who reigns above, 
A gift bestowed that she may aid His purposes of love. 

How responsible are the possessors of this gift ! 
How important that it should always be exerted on 
the right side! It is not so much by direct instruc- 
tion, by counsel or rebuke, that woman is to do good, 
as by exhibiting the loveliness of the Christian graces, 
by diffusing the light of a correct example, and main- 
taining a consistent character, harmonious in itself, 
and attractive to others. Our first duty, then, is to 
labor in the vineyard of our own hearts; for if the 
tree be good, its fruits will be good. We must 
practise self-denial, meekness, gentleness, consider- 
ation for others in the hourly acts of life, and mani- 
fest that love which seeks not its own interest, but 
the welfare and happiness of others. In this way we 
shall at the same time promote our own happiness, 



LETTER TO HER PUPILS. jgj 

for happiness is not the result of any combination of 
circumstances which the most brilhant fancy can de- 
pict ; it must proceed from a persevering effort to 
fulfil our duties to our Heavenly Father, and to our 
fellow-creatures. 

"While, then, you are improving the faculties 
which have been intrusted to you, and seeking the 
esteem and friendship of those whom you think 
worthy of your love, let it be your first aim to be- 
come wise unto salvation. As the joys of Heaven, 
the exceeding and eternal weight of glory, promised 
to the faithful Christian, infinitely overbalance the 
delusive and fleeting pleasures of the world, in the 
same proportion does our spiritual welfare surpass 
in importance our temporal well-being. Let it, then, 
be your chief desire to obtain the approbation of 
Him whose favor is life everlasting. It is not enough 
to be amiable, generous, benevolent ; these delight- 
ful traits of character may exist in a heart alienated 
from God, which seeks neither to know, nor to do 
His will. We must be born again, and this great 
change must be effected by His Holy Spirit. In all 
our pursuits let us ask His blessing; in all our 
undertakings, let us keep in view the shortness and 
uncertainty of life, remembering that, although many 
things are desirable, one thing is needful, — the sal- 
vation of our never-dying souls. We are not our 
own; as created beings, we are not our own, nor at 
liberty to follow the impulses of our unregenerate 
hearts; in a sense far more important we are not our 
own ; we are bought with a price, the precious blood 

14* 



l62 ^^lEAIOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

of the Lamb of God. Could any more powerful 
inducement to seek Him early be presented? May 
we be united by the ties of love not only while we 
are pilgrims on this earth, but may we be inhabitants 
of the same celestial city, and forever sing the praises 
of Him who loved us before we loved Him ! May 
not one of you be wanting at His right hand ! May 
His grace, love, and mercy be with you now and 
forever ! 

"Your loving and faithful friend, 

" M. A. LONGSTRETH." 

When it became known that Miss Mary Anna had 
decided to give up her school, a plan was suggested 
which was warmly seconded and promptly carried 
out. A circular-letter was sent to all who had ever 
been pupils (as far as their addresses could be 
learned) inviting them to unite in raising a fund as 
a memorial of her fifty years' devotion to the work 
of education. Miss Susan had directly shared the 
labor for twenty-five years, had aided it for a much 
longer time, and was intimately connected with it in 
the minds of all the older pupils. The memorial, 
therefore, included both sisters. Those who origi- 
nated the plan realized the delicacy of offering a 
tribute of so material a kind, where energy and 
perseverance had already provided all that was neces- 
sary, and in giving a name to the memorial endeav- 
ored to bring out the idea that it was to commem- 



MEMORIAL FUND. 



163 



orate at once the scene and the character of the 
sisters' work. They accordingly called it " The 
M. A. and S. Longstreth Fund for the Education of 
Women in Philadelphia." A committee was ap- 
pointed to receive contributions, large or small ; the 
individual amounts were never made known. The 
sum ultimately reached was two thousand dollars, 
and small as it seemed to those who had collected 
it, its acceptance was so graceful and appreciative 
that all who had taken part in it were gratified. 

The closing day of school, June 20th, 1877, not- 
withstanding its tearful partings, was, as some one 
said, a kind of " Golden Wedding" day. Letters, 
notes, and messages, some of sympathy, some of 
congratulation, all of affection, came pouring in. 
Even the most reserved now found expression for 
their grateful memories; and in those from all the 
earlier scholars both sisters had a part. The chorus 
of blended voices touched them deeply, and the fund 
remained, a substantial memorial of a recognition 
they could not doubt. 



CHAPTER IX. 



FAMILY LIFE. 



We have now seen something of Mary Anna 
Longstreth as the eager learner, the earnest, consci- 
entious teacher. We have seen her after the relaxa- 
tion of foreign travel again taking up her chosen 
work, ever pressing forward to the highest mark, 
" without haste, without rest." But there is another 
side scarcely yet touched upon, no less characteristic, 
and to those who knew her best, the most endearing. 

The absorbing occupation, the proceeds of which 
contributed so largely to the needs of the family, natu- 
rally set her aside from any active domestic duty, but 
in filial love and attention, and all the simple kindly 
offices of daily life between brothers and sisters, she 
never failed. A little New Year's greeting to her 
mother has been carefully preserved for fifty years : 

" On this happy morning to whom can I with so 
much pleasure offer my best and warmest wishes for 
many ' happy New Years' as to my beloved mother, 
who for more than twenty years has cherished me 
with the fondest affection, tenderly watched over my 
164 



HOME LETTERS. 



165 



infancy and childhood, and now ministers to my 
comfort with that faithful constancy and love which 
a mother only can bestow? Thus may she in turn 
be guarded, cherished, and cared for by the kind 
Shepherd of Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. 
May He pour balm into her wounds, and wipe away 
all her tears! May He give her joy for mourning, 
and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, 
making her last days her happiest ! 

" Mary Anna. 

" 1st mo. 1st, 1S35." 

Miss Mary Anna's letters, even her simplest notes, 
were carefully written. Their style was in keeping 
with her beautiful regular penmanship. But the spon- 
taneity of a little outburst of affection in the follow- 
ing pencilled fragment to Miss Susan will be to most 
readers its greatest charm. Miss Mary Anna had 
gone to New York to take the steamer for Europe 
in 1866, and an hour before sailing sends her last mes- 
sages. One enjoys even the absence of punctuation : 

" I did not tell thee my darling sister how greatly 
I felt indebted to thee for thy kindness in getting me 
ready — packing me up &c — because I wished to 
avoid calling up too much feeling — and was fearful of 
breaking down myself — But I do return thee a thou- 
sand and a thousand thanks for thy multiplied kind- 
nesses, and all thy patience with me. May the Lord 
bless and keep thee every hour, renew thy health and 
strength, and enable thee to bear thy burdens," 



1 65 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

" It must not be supposed," says Miss Susan, 
" that because so much of her time was given to her 
beloved scholars — every one of whom was made a 
separate study — she was any the less interested in 
the families of her brother and sister, whose settle- 
■ ment in life removed them from the parental roof. 
Her heart expanded, and her happiness was greatly in- 
creased by witnessing their happiness. Her brother 
William, who was ten years younger than herself, 
had always been her especial favorite. She found 
time to write to him every week when he was at 
Haverford, and took the warmest interest in his settle- 
ment on a farm, which she delighted to stock with fine 
fruit and to adorn with shrubbery. After his busi- 
ness called him to the city, she took equal pleasure in 
his living at dear old Greenway, and building a new 
house on its grounds. His wife was as dear to her as 
either of her own sisters, and his children always found 
a real home in Filbert Street. She depended upon 
him, and his death in i88i was a great blow to her. 
She never recovered from the disappointment of losing 
him and his son Thomas, who died in early manhood." 

From the birth of her eldest nephew — a joyful 
event in the life of every child-loving aunt — to that 
of the youngest great-niece, her affections were 
always widening with the widening circle ; and this 
loving interest was by no means a mere sentiment, 
nor was it ever at a loss for means of expression. In 
the early days, when little Theodore was the one in- 



NEPHEWS AND NIECES. 



167 



fant pet of the family, his aunt's chief amusement was 
to pay him and his young mother an afternoon visit, 
and in merry frolic with the child to plan schemes 
for his future development. And the schemes were 
put into practice at the very earliest moment. The 
little fellow was taught to go alone the short distance 
to his aunt's house to receive a daily lesson. 

And years afterwards, when the health of a younger 
nephew, grown to manhood, had caused some anxiety, 
the same solicitous affection sent him, in hope of com- 
plete restoration, to the milder climates of Southern 
Europe and the Nile. This was only one of many 
instances of the same kind. Her purse, filled by her 
own exertions, seemed to have the blessing of the 
widow's cruse; it was never very full, it was always 
pouring out its bounty, and it was never empty. 

But of all her gifts she was herself the best. In- 
stead of growing graver and sadder as the years 
went by, her busy productive life reversed the usual 
order, and she seemed to grow more and more light 
of heart, as if she lived in the sunshine. A great- 
niece gives a pleasant picture of the young circle she 
loved to orather round her : 



" No maiden aunt, with every faculty given exclu- 
sively to nephews and nieces, could have lavished 
more love and attention upon the children of her 



1 68 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

brother and sister than did Aunt Mary Anna. One 
of her eldest nephew's cherished treasures is a book 
carefully written in her own beautiful hand, — a sort 
of journal for the first ten years of his life and that 
of his brothers and sister, — a record of their moral 
and mental progress, little pleasures, gifts, birthdays, 
etc. ; a book the keeping of which many a mother 
might have esteemed too great a tax, not so the busy 
teacher of a large school. What trouble was too 
great for her untiring love ? 

" Some Sunday evenings are especially bright in 
our recollections, — those when Aunt Mary Anna took 
tea with us. We would crowd around her and sit 
on her lap, listening to the adventures of ' Charlotte,' 
* The Little Princess,' or, best of all, ' When she and 
Aunt Susan were little girls.' In great request was 
the seat next her at tea-time, or afterwards, when 
hymns and texts were repeated. 

" As if her teaching was to cease but with her life, 
her last year was a lesson to us of beautiful patience 
and submission to the Divine will. How hard she 
found it — threatened with blindness — to lie still and 
rest from her life-long activity none but herself ever 
knew. And when we were gathered together in that 
darkened room last summer, our sorrow for the dear 
life gone from our midst though deep, was mingled 
with thankfulness that her eyes had been opened to 
the light of Heaven before they were entirely dark- 
ened to the light of earth. 

" Elisabeth Morris." 



CHAPTER X. 

PHILANTHROPIC INTERESTS — SOCIAL LIFE. 

Mary Anna Longstreth's charity, in every sense, 
began at home. None knew so well as her own 
household how truly unselfish thought for others 
was the main-spring of her life. But her sympathies 
went far beyond the limits of this inner circle. Out- 
side of her school — to which she conscientiously 
gave her freshest energies — she still had time and 
thought to spare for many charitable enterprises, any 
one of which would have seemed to most women 
quite enough to occupy them. Her school employ- 
ments extended far beyond school hours; her even- 
ings were habitually spent in examining copy-books, 
arranging class-lists, or preparing special exercises 
for her scholars;* yet a stranger meeting her in the 
afternoon at a hospital or charity committee, might 
have supposed that particular object her chief inter- 

* The " Young Student's Companion," still so popular a text-book 
for beginners in French, was originally prepared by her for the use 
of her own classes. She also made a large collection of words apt 
to be misspelled for study in the school. 

IS 169 



I/O 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



est. " She never allowed the weariness and drag of 
a benevolent life to show," says a discriminating ob- 
server who knew her well ; " no doubt it was often 
felt, but all that came to our eyes was the pleasure 
and comfort she had in it, and this alone was a vast 
service to the cause of God and humanity." From 
all in need of aid or comfort, Indians or Freedmen, a 
struggling missionary's wife at the antipodes, or a 
sick child in the nearest alley, the cry " Come over 
and help us" found in her a willing ear, a helping 
hand, and an open purse, " without regard to creed, 
color, race, or nationality." The perplexed, the baf- 
fled, the disheartened, flocked to her as to an oracle ; 
her word became to many a new starting-point in 
life. " I look back thirty years," says one, " and re- 
member what a gift her friendship has been to me. 
Without it how could I have made my way over so 
many rugged and difficult paths ? I came to her a 
stranger asking aid and counsel; she took me in to 
her thought and heart, and continued to give me her 
aid, counsel, and love through all these years. It 
was a friendship without a flaw." 

Parents seeking teachers for their children, teach- 
ers seeking employment for themselves, alike re- 
sorted to her, and in some cases the supply so 
exactly met the demand, and the result was so satis- 
factory to all parties concerned, the time and thought 



A BUREAU OF INFORMATION. 



171 



necessarily given to the matter were not considered. 
The service was a real happiness to both sisters. 
But there were often applicants for whom nothing 
could be found, and Miss Mary Anna's sympathy in 
these cases really preyed upon her health. Occa- 
sionally, too, a candidate was contumacious, one 
young woman positively insisting that she should be 
provided with music scholars. She was " quite sure 
Miss Longstreth could do it if she would only make 
the effort!" The house was in danger of becoming 
a mere bureau of information, and the task, so pleas- 
ant in the beginning, had to be given up. 

Her attachment to her own Society of Friends was 
unswerving, yet with a catholicity of faith rarely 
found in any communion, she bade God-speed to all 
true seekers, even though the pathway chosen were 
far different from her own. The self-devotion of Dr. 
Price, her early Latin teacher, first kindled her in- 
terest in missions.* Far from being a mere religious 
duty, it became almost a passion of her life, and had 
not another path been clearly marked out for her, 
she would gladly have gone to Burmah to impart to 
others what was so truly to herself a message of great 
joy. The visits of Dr. Judson and Dr. and Mrs. 
Wade to this country were an especial enjoyment to 

* See page 14. 



1-7 2 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

her. Through these friends she was introduced to 
Miss Cynthia Sheldon, and her niece Miss Anable, 
with whom a warm intimacy continued throughout 
her Hfe. She dehghted to aid in filHng boxes with 
useful articles to be sent out to Mrs. Wade. All the 
fine cutlery, scissors, penknives, needles, etc., were 
carefully dried on a stove, and packed in glass jars, 
to secure them from the dampness of a long voyage. 
Many little articles of dress, not to be had in India, 
were also added. One may fancy the pleasure with 
which these boxes were opened. 

Mrs. Wade thus writes from Tavoy, December 24th, 
1864: 

" O how like cool and refreshing streams in the 
parched deserts of this hot and weary land have been 
your precious letters, presents, and offerings in money 
for our personal comfort, schools, etc. ! In all these 
long, eventful years since May, 1834, when I was 
first introduced to thee, my loved friend, and spent 
that first delightful, ever to be remembered evening 
in your family circle, how many, many streams of 
comfort and strength have flowed to me from that 
unlooked-for fountain of love and benevolence !" 

She began early in life to take an especial interest 
in the blind, writing a hymn for their use. For a 
time she visited the prisoners at the Penitentiary, but 
afterwards found her spare hours too limited to keep 



SOCIAL VISITS. YIX 

up the habit. She was one of the corporators of the 
Medical College for Women, and from 1878 until 
near the time of her death continued a manager of 
the Woman's Hospital. 

But the most absorbing interest of all her later 
years, the one in which she took the most delight, 
and upon which she lavished every resource at her 
command, was the school at Hampton. Of this a 
full account will presently be given by one of its 
efficient corps of workers. 

" Some people always sigh in praising God," says 
Aurora Leigh. Mary Anna Longstreth certainly 
was not one of them. Her bright hopefulness of 
spirit, her buoyancy of manner, was the strongest 
testimony to the faith she lived by. Her presence 
brought gladness to young and old. A photograph, 
taken in her bonnet and veil just as she looked on 
entering the school in the morning, was a favorite 
picture with her scholars. So, too, she looked when 
visiting the large circle of her old pupils, most of 
whom became her warm and life-long friends. Amid 
her crowded and multifarious engagements she al- 
ways found time for keeping up these pleasant 
social relations. And her visits were never mere 
perfunctory calls. She shared, with a power of sym- 
pathy given to few, the joys no less than the sorrows 

15* 



174 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



of those she loved. Whether it were a young girl's 
engagement, a coveted trip to Europe just made 
possible, or a new avenue opened for needed self- 
support, the happiness of another at once became 
her own. The profusion of her wedding invitations 
attracted the notice even of the carriers. " Who is 
this Miss Longstreth everybody invites?" one of 
them once inquired. He evidently supposed her a 
kind of ever-reigning belle, whose perennial attrac- 
tions " age could not wither." And he was not far 
wrong. Her heart never grew old, and the sweet 
face retained its childlike beauty even at threescore. 



CHAPTER XI. 



LAST YEARS. 



The account of the closing scenes will best be 
given in the words of the faithful sister, who was with 
her to the end : 

"When the need for much effort ceased," says 
Miss Susan, " my dear sister found herself more worn 
than she supposed, and she never fully regained her 
strength. The sight of both eyes was impaired by 
cataract, and she finally lost the power of writing, 
but she was enabled to meet this gradual diminution 
of vigor with much calmness and patience. She was 
always able to dictate letters to her friends, and to 
send packages and papers to Hampton graduates. 
In 1883 she went to Lake Mohonk, expecting to en- 
joy the fine air and the society of many dear friends 
at that delightful home-like retreat, but was disap- 
pointed by an increase of indisposition, which con- 
fined her to her room during her whole stay there. 

" She had never recovered her strength since the 
loss of our beloved brother William and his gifted 
son Thomas, on whom she had expected always to 
lean for support. But the pins of the earthly taber- 

175 



1/6 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



nacle were so gently loosened, one by one, that we 
found it difficult to understand fully her increasing 
feebleness. 

" In 1884 our kind friend, Julianna R. Wood, with 
whom my sister and myself had been intimate from 
girlhood, offered us the use of her cottage at Cape 
May. It was a providential arrangement, and only 
He who knows the end from the beginning could 
have so planned every minute detail for her comfort 
and convenience, even directing the steps of our 
sister E. Morris and her family to the same place, so 
that they saw each other daily. Truly He made all 
her bed in her sickness. For six weeks we occupied 
' Sea Brink Cottage,' where we had the finest air 
from the beach, and perfect quiet. My sister's mind 
was bright and clear. She had been in the habit of 
conversing with me about the possibility of her sud- 
den removal, saying, ' If I should be taken away un- 
expectedly, I should like such and such a thing at- 
tended to ;' and memoranda were made of her wishes, 
though without any agitation of manner, from the 
feeling of entire uncertainty when such memoranda 
would be needed." 

But by the first of August there were indications 
that the end might be near ; and by the advice of 
her physician the patient was taken back to her own 
home. 

" The journey," continues Miss Susan, " was ac- 
complished 8mo. 8th without difficulty or fatigue, 



LAST HOURS. 



177 



our attentive nephews doing everything in their 
power to make it easy to her. After our return she 
was still able to pass the greater part of the day 
in our dining-room, the weather being remarkably 
cool and pleasant. 

" On the 14th she seemed as well as usual, but at 
6 P.M. a slight feeling of nausea excited a little uneasi- 
ness, and I at once felt alarmed about her. It was a 
new symptom, and although she assured me it was 
of no consequence, and soon told me she felt very 
much better, I immediately sent for a physician. Be- 
fore the doctor could reach her bedside all conscious- 
ness was over, though it was not till near 4 o'clock 
on the morning of the 15th that the breathing ceased. 
Most of the intervening hours were passed in gentle 
slumber. 

" I was strengthened to sit by her and to promote 
her comfort, feeling the undoubted presence of our 
Saviour, who fulfilled His gracious promise, ' If I go 
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and 
receive you unto myself;' and as He, the omniscient 
and almighty One, was tenderly and lovingly leading 
her every step of the way, saying to me, ' Fear not, 
for I am with thee,' I knew that He had taken her 
from my hands into His own. 

" Many of our friends were away from home, but 
more than two hundred gathered at the funeral 
to have one more view of the lovely countenance. 
Thanksgiving was offered by several Friends to 
Him whose grace had been abundantly bestowed 



178 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



upon her, that the sting of death had been taken 
away, and the victory given through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

" The remains were laid beside those of our 
beloved mother, at South Laurel Hill." 



H A ivr P T O N. 



K[ A M: P T O N. 



What our dear Miss Longstreth is, in the grateful 
remembrance of Hampton, cannot be told. Descrip- 
tion and praise fall as far short of the memory they 
would celebrate, and the love they would offer, as do 
the fading wreaths laid upon a grave. What words 
can express the fragrance of a flower, the melody of 
music, the face of a friend ? 

Yet, as a single glance may recall all the sweet- 
ness and tender grace to those who knew them, — 
like the sight of the garments that Dorcas had made, 
— so, to those who find in these pages indeed a me- 
morial, every gentle deed recounted must call up the 
gentle friend who so gave herself with her gifts that 
her presence remains in them, a constant blessing. 

Miss Longstreth's mission of love to Hampton In- 
stitute began in 1872, when this normal and indus- 
trial school for freedmen was in the fourth year of its 
existence. In that year, the Freedman's Aid So- 
ciety of Philadelphia, which had accomplished much 

16 181 



1 82 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

good during and since the war, establishing schools 
and missions and otherwise aiding the contrabands, 
feeling that the further development of the race was 
passing naturally into other hands, decided to dis- 
band. Hearing of this decision, General Armstrong, 
principal of Hampton school, wrote to a friend among 
the directors of the Association, urging that there 
was still work to be done for the freedmen that would 
need all tiie help of all their friends. This letter, 
shown by the lady to whom it was addressed to her 
friend, Miss Longstreth, was Hampton's first intro- 
duction to this dear friend. How that introduction 
was received, and how it was renewed, it is pleasant 
to hear from her own words : 

" Being the principal of a large school, I thought 
it right to impress upon my pupils the duty of con- 
sidering the poor, relieving the distressed, and in- 
structing the ignorant, and I encouraged them to lay 
aside for this purpose part of the weekly allowance 
they received from their parents, or a part of what 
they earned by good conduct and diligence in study. 
They brought to me every Monday their contribu- 
tions, varying from two to ten cents for each pupil, 
and these small sums, which amounted in a year to 
nearly two hundred dollars, were sent to the South 
to assist in paying the salary of a teacher of the 
freedmen. When General Armstrong came to Phila- 
delphia, in November of 1872, to plead for his Hamp- 



J 



HAMPTOy. 



183 



ton school, and asked our citizens to assist in paying 
for the tuition of those whose parents were unable to 
pay, I proposed to my pupils to give part of their 
money to this excellent object. They immediately 
acceded, paid for one scholarship, and continued it 
year after year until I closed my school in 1877. 
Jennie Shelton was one of the Hampton graduates 
who received for three years the benefit of their dona- 
tion, and fully did she repay them by the diligent 
use she made of her privileges, as well as by her 
grateful appreciation of their kindness. I also had 
the pleasure of taking a scholarship, and became 
much interested in the great work being accom- 
plished at Hampton." 

General J. F. B. Marshall, Hampton's honored 
treasurer and friend, was told by Miss Longstreth in 
after years, that the practical, manly and womanly 
tone and simple Christian spirit of the " scholar- 
ship letters," received in response to these dona- 
tions of scholarships, from students at Hampton, did 
much, as it has in many other instances, to continue 
her interest in the school and confirm her impression 
of the work done by it. 

To quote again her own words: 

"The ground for Virginia Hall was broken in the 
spring of 1873, and the corner-stone was laid on 
June 1 2th of that year. The illness of one of my as- 
sistant teachers prevented me from being present on 



1 84 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



that interesting occasion. As the corner-stone ora- 
tion was written and spoken by my scholarship pu- 
pil, George E. Stephens, it would have been a par- 
ticular gratification to me to attend the anniversary 
exercises, but duty required me to be in my own 
school." 

This absence did not prevent a generous donation 
to Virginia Hall, sent down to represent the giver, — 
the first of how many, many generous, thoughtful, 
timely gifts, besides the constantly kept up scholar- 
ships. 

The next year, Hampton had the pleasure of wel- 
coming its dear new friend for the first time. Of 
this first visit, she writes : 

" Highly did I enjoy all I saw and heard. The 
progress of the pupils was wonderful. Academic 
Hall with its admirable appointments, Virginia Hall 
still unfinished, but giving promise of great useful- 
ness and comfort, the farm, the natural beauty of the 
place, with the flowing river and broad meadows, all 
called forth my warm admiration. Enthusiasm and 
heartfelt interest were manifested by both Northern 
and Southern visitors." 

And this was the impression she left : 

" Your name is a well-loved one here, dear Miss 
Longstreth. I hope you will come again and con- 



HAMPTON. 



185 



tinue your acquaintance with the place and the 
people." 

For nine more years, she was an always-expected, 
never-failing guest at every anniversary; coming when 
possible some days before, and making part of her 
visit at the school itself, that she might share its life 
and become personally acquainted with teachers and 
scholars. Very sweet are the memories that linger 
of those visits, — the bright, cordial interest to see 
every addition and improvement made since she was 
last here ; the fitting word and loving smile for every 
worker; the sympathetic inquiries into the trials and 
successes of the year; the helpful suggestions from 
the stores of her own long experience as a teacher. 
To every senior class, their baccalaureate sermon, 
and even their diplomas, seemed scarcely more neces- 
sary to their graduation than Miss Longstreth's fare- 
well talk, when they gathered in the quiet of twilight 
in the chapel, and, after the hush of silent prayer, re- 
ceived her gentle counsels to carry with them to 
their distant, lonely fields of labor, and were com- 
mended by her to the care of Him whose eyes are 
over every place. How many waste places have 
been made glad by the influence of those twilight 
talks ! 

So full were those ten years — from anniversary to 
16* 



1 86 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

anniversary — of loving thoughts and deeds spared to 
Hampton out of that ever busy life, that the records 
of them would sound repetitious; while to those 
whom they blessed with timely aid in work, or per- 
sonal comfort, they suggested the love " new every 
morning and fresh every evening." 

"Thanks for the 'Bible Lessons,' which I will 
have tried as you request; also for ' Historical Series 
and Chart.' " 

" Those beautiful illuminations you sent to us, and 
for the teachers I How have you been able to spare 
so much time from your constant cares? You must 
have a wonderful art of using every moment." 

"You thought of everything practical and orna- 
mental in that wonderful Christmas-box we haven't 
yet ceased to wonder at." 

" The texts you sent for the boys' rooms came in 
excellent order, and are very much to the point in 
every way." 

" The girls were never weary of listening to the 
very interesting and instructive 'oook you sent to be 
read in the sewing-room, and would preserve the 
strictest quiet, speaking in whispers when it was ne- 
cessary to ask a question. Usually, the machines 
prevent reading, but on Friday, when we have the 
stockings to mend, we improve the still hours." 

" Your second box of apparatus is just opened. 
For the first time in our history we have a real phil- 
osophical department. It is very gratifying. It will 



HAMPTON. 



187 



be a nucleus of growth. You have planted the seed 
of more things than you have given yourself So, 
also, the friend whom you interested in the cause, to 
whom I will write. Please tell her, her donation has 
been applied to great advantage. I am under many 
obligations for your kindness in supplying this need 
of our school so promptly and liberally." 

" Thanks for the books and tracts which came to- 
day. You are always wise and thoughtful in your 
selections." 

" General Marshall read your letter to the girls the 
same evening that your beautiful engraving arrived: 
' Elizabeth Fry reading the Bible to the prisoners in 
Newgate.' I know you would have felt repaid if you 
could have seen them while they were listening to 
your account of E. Fry, and your loving words of 
counsel. The picture is the most elegant decoration 
of our girls' parlor." 

" We do all certainly enjoy Virginia Hall, and one 
of the older girls was saying yesterday that the old 
girls could appreciate it, as the new ones cannot. 
She said, ' I woke last night and got to thinking how 
nice my room is, and how much has been spent for 
us, and I know I can never know a great deal 
(she is not one of the best scholars), but I thought I 
could have good principles though I could never 
have much money or much knowledge, and I mean 
to remember it daily and try to live rigiit.' " 

"The box of models was opened to-day, — ^just the 
things to make an impression on a student's mind. 
I am very grateful for them. You are very generous 



1 88 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

to US. Your kind interest in us makes you, in a 
sweet and true sense, one of us." 

" Whichever way we turn, my dear friend, your 
gifts have been so numerous and so useful that we 
are being constantly reminded of you. My lounge, 
in its fresh chintz cover, and my desk, with the dear 
little books (your gifts), in my own room, the desk 
in the teachers' parlor, and, when I go below-stairs 
to attend to domestic duties, the useful aprons, and 
when I can give to some needy girl some of your 
generous supply of canton-flannel which you have 
intrusted to me, each in its turn brings you before 
me, and I feel that we cannot thank you enough. 
But I know, my dear friend, that you are happy in 
giving, and I trust it may add to your happiness to 
know that we are very happy in receiving." 

All oppressiveness was indeed removed from gifts 
that were the joyous outflow of a heart that had to 

" Let its illumined being o'errun." 

One could but write : 

" Your cordial words show how truly you rejoice 
with them that do rejoice, as well as your many 
deeds have shown the hearty interest you feel in the 
freedmen and every one at Hampton who is trying to 
aid them. I feel sure that it is a real happiness for 
you to do so much as you are constantly doing for 
teachers, officers, and scholars, and you may be sure 



HAMPTON. 



189 



that the truly benevolent spirit which has prompted 
your goodness has made it an easy and pleasant 
thing to receive your generous gifts." 

It is a pleasant thing to think of our dear friend's 
part in the joy of her benevolence to Hampton. 

" You have little idea," wrote its grateful treasurer, 
" how much the school has been and is indebted to 
you for your interest, shown in every way and at all 
times, in the work we are trying to do and in those 
who are trying to do it. What my report may show 
is but a trifle compared to what you really do for us, 
and I assure you we all appreciate it." 

But her answer to such expressions was : 

" The debt is on my side. I speak sincerely. I 
feel that I owe what I can never repay to the work- 
ers at Hampton. TJiey are doing my zvork in a way 
that I cannot, and all I can do is to manifest my love 
and gratitude." 

"Thy remark about a 'return' for kindness coin- 
cides exactly with my own view of the subject, and 
has always been a favorite one with me. ' The ball 
must be kept rolling' [to others], but I get my ' re- 
turn' before it sets off, — a whole heap of pleasure." 

" It is very gratifying to me to find that my little 
mementos have given so much pleasure to my dear 
friends at Hampton. I am sure it has given mc still 
more to think of them in this way. My heart grows 



190 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



larger as time flows on and I become better ac- 
quainted with you and your work." 

" It was a real help to me to be with my dearly 
loved and loving friends at Hampton and enjoy their 
work. I have come home cheered and refreshed, 
admiring more than ever the great work that is being 
accomplished there, and thanking God. When I am 
writing to my Hampton friends, I feel as if I were 
sitting by them and chatting. Oh that I could be 
more often with you in person ! I am daily with you 
in spirit." 

And these sweet, daily thoughts seemed continually 
accumulating and crystallizing into loving deeds, ap- 
pearing at Hampton in the shape of a big box filled 
with pretty and useful articles of house-furnishing or 
adorning, or special comfort of students or teachers. 
Not only at Christmas, when every new teacher was 
added in, receiving with surprise a pretty picture to 
brighten her walls from this stranger friend, but at 
intervals between, especially at the beginning of a 
term, — " Is this Christmas ?" some uninitiated one 
would ask, as every plate round the supper-table 
would appear laden with a mysterious package in 
snowiest of wrappings tied with exquisite neatness, 
and inscribed, in the delicate hand that many had 
already learned to know, with the owner's name and 
the " love of M. A. L. ;" hiding within the useful little 
implements of a teacher's work ; while every chair 



HAMPTON. 



191 



bore its burden of Sunday-school papers for distribu- 
tion in the Bible-classes. No need was too small or 
common to escape the thought of that motherly 
heart. 

" The pencils, paper-folders, etc., were pleasant and 
grateful surprises on the teachers' tea-tables last 
evening. The little temperance tracts and songs will 
be very acceptable to some of our graduates, who 
try in their teaching to support the temperance cause 
also." 

" We all had a treat at supper last night. The 
peaches were pronounced delicious by every one of 
the household. Miss Susan possesses an enviable 
secret. It is so pleasant to think that she made them, 
though it seemed too much work." 

" In your thoughtful and unnumbered deeds of 
love to us of Hampton you remind me of her of 
whom some one has said : 

' She doeth little kindnesses 
Which most leave undone or despise, 
For naught that sets one heart at ease. 
Or giveth happiness and peace, 
Is low-esteemed in her eyes.' 

" Not that your kindness to us is small, but how, 
with your many large acts of bounty, you yet find 
time to consult our happiness as you do in so many, 
many ways, is to me a marvel. As each one comes 
I say, Does Miss Longstreth think of any one but 



192 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



US ? If she does, and in the same ratio as she does 
of us, how full to overflowing must her life be of 
thoughts of others. I wish I might be a humble 
imitator." 

That Miss Longstreth did think and work for 
many interests this volume amply shows, and no one 
knew her long without discovering. 

" I have received eighty letters this month !" she 
writes, — " all welcome and interesting. I have been 
exceedingly busy for the past fortnight, writing let- 
ters and sending packages of books and papers to 
colored schools. My hand is quite lame and my 
head tired, I shall not therefore attempt to prepare 
a letter for the March number of the Soiitlia-n Work- 
man, but send instead a letter from Walter I. Lewis, 
the earnest principal of the Spartanburg (colored) 
High School. General Armstrong likes sometimes 
to have in the Workvian letters from teachers who 
are not Hampton graduates." 

It was from the midst of labors of love like these 
and many others that her thoughts were sent in such 
practical form to Hampton. 

" It takes about three days," she writes in later 
days of growing weakness, " to get a box ready for 
Hampton. Of course I rriean only as much of the 
time as my eyes allow me to work ; and as soon as 



HAMPTON. 



193 



the box is off, I begin to do up my packages of 
papers for my tivcnty colored correspondents." 

Who that ever saw will ever forget those spacious 
parlors in Filbert Street, filled like a bazar, to the 
dismay of all Friendly ideals of sobriety and order? 
Chairs, tables, and floor piled with stacks of clothing, 
large and small : coats and jackets, calico dresses, 
checked aprons, gay bandanas, hats and hoods, quilts 
and blankets; beads, dolls, Noah's arks, toys of every 
description, patch-work squares; boxes of thimbles, 
boxes of tools, boxes of crackers, books, and v/hat- 
ever else busy brains with benevolent hearts could 
think up and industrious hands collect to despatch; 
the one parlor-full to Indian mission schools, from 
Miss Susan, the other parlor-full to schools of colored 
graduates and missionaries, from Miss Mary Anna, 
so sympathetic were these sisters in their kindred 
works of love. 

The Hampton graduate teachers and their little 
schools had frequent share in this kindly providence. 
Many of them have also been counted among her 
"twenty colored correspondents," and received the 
richer gifts of her letters of encouragement and 
counsel. 

Some of their replies she sent from time to time 
for the graduates' letter-page in the school's organ, 

17 



194 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



the Southern Workman, where these " simple annals 
of the poor" have long had a mission of good in ac- 
quainting Northern readers with the work going on 
in the log cabin school-houses of the South. 

" Towe's letter that you sent is excellent. Such 
men as he pay for all this work. I have sent his 
letter to Mr. Fessenden to show to ." 

" In a letter which Towe wrote me, he said, after 
thanking me for some papers, etc., ' I am too poor to 
pay you, but I have a rich Father.' He was rich in 
faith. I send with this a letter from W., which 
shows so much earnestness in his work and deter- 
mination to be useful in every way in his power, that 
it gave me a high opinion of him. I have replied 
to it." 

" I sent W.'s letter to a lady who gave his schol- 
arship. It will please her." 

Besides these graduates' letters, the Southern 
Workman received many proofs of her kindly, pains- 
taking interest, in parcels of clippings, made with 
careful selection, at the expense, it would seem, of 
much time and thought, from various papers, such 
as she thought would be of use or interest to its 
readers. They were solid and light, grave, and even 
gay, for she had a keen enjoyment of humor, and 
faith in the cultivation of all sides of this " human 
soul by which we live." 



HAMPTON. iQC 

" Meeting the glad with joyful smiles, 
Wiping the weeping eyes. . . . 
With a heart at leisure from itself 
To soothe and sympathize." 



Her heart took leisure in the midst of the cares 
attending the opening of her own school, to write to 
the principal of Hampton : 

"September nth, 1876. 

" My dear Friend, S. C. Armstrong : 

" May I send thee a few lines of sympathy? . . . 
Although I have taught school so many years, the 
re-opening always feels more or less formidable. To 
set the machinery again in motion, to examine the 
new pupils, and arrange fresh classes, and unite all 
in a harmonious whole, is not an easy task ; yet help 
has always been furnished, and after the new arrange- 
ments are made the work is delightful, the conscious- 
ness of being in the line of one's duty brings with it 
a sweet reward. There are, of course, difficulties, 
obstacles, and disappointments, but when we are fol- 
lowing our Master's call we are sure of His aid. 
Peter walked on the sea of Galilee at his Lord's com- 
mand ; but when he looked at the stormy waves and 
listened to the fierce wind, he began to sink. Had 
he kept his eyes fixed upon his Lord, he would 
doubtless have walked safely forward upon that 
treacherous element, — not in his own strength, but 
upheld by Divine power. While I have the ability — 
and it is the day with me — I desire to work. I know 
not how soon the night may come. At the same 



196 



MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



time I do not intend to shorten the day by overtax- 
ing my strength contrary to the laws of Him who 
made the body as well as the soul. 

"The re-opening of school seems to me more 
truly the beginning of a new year than the season 
which is usually so regarded, — a time for renewed 
dedication of heart and consecration to my mission. 
Is it not a privilege to work (even in feebleness and 
with many imperfections) in our Redeemer's cause, 
to promote His reign and spread the glad tidings of 
His salvation ? St. Paul's words, ' Whose I am and 
whom T serve,' seem to me sublime. I love to speak 
of them to my pupils, and contrast this glorious ser- 
vice with that which is paid to an earthly monarch, 
hoping to induce my young friends to enter it. How 
eagerly do the attendants upon royalty seek the honor 
which comes from such service, and to which few 
comparatively can attain, while the service of the 
King of kings is free to all, and infinitely more 
noble!" 

A few days later she writes : 

" I thought much about the school yesterday, the 
first Sabbath after the opening, though I presume 
not nearly all the pupils have presented themselves. 
I hope Mr. Tolman was able to be at his post, and 
above all, that the Holy Spirit was present to solem- 
nize the exercises. 

" I have written a letter to the Hampton gradu- 
ates, for insertion in the Workman, if approved by 
thee." 



HAMPTON. 



197 



This letter to Hampton graduates was the first of 
sixteen which, in the midst of other cares and inter- 
ests, she found time to write, and the Workman 
gladly welcomed to its columns, during the next six 
years, the graduate teachers looking eagerly for the 
signature that marked the kindly counsels of their 
friend. One paragraph may show their spirit : 

"There are three requisites for a teacher's success 
in the highest sense, — love to Christ in his heart, 
love for children, with an earnest desire for their 
eternal welfare, and a love of teaching." 

How thoroughly she filled these " requisites" her- 
self all who were acquainted with her knew. She 
may have said to many what she said to one Hamp- 
ton teacher : " I have often thought that if I should 
be allowed by the dear Lord to choose my occupa- 
tion in heaven, I should choose to teach." And 
there are many who would echo that Hampton 
teacher's answer : " Then I hope I may be in your 
class there." Who can doubt that in some sweet 
high way it is 

" Her mission still to rear, to teach" 

" In tliose great offices that suit 
Tlie growing energies of Heaven" ? 

Her letters to the graduates were appreciated by 
17* 



1^8 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

them. She writes : " I have had the pleasure of 
learning from the letters of several graduates, that 
they have been encouraged by my letters in the 
Workman, and that encourages me to continue to 
write," 

The sparkling and mirthful side of her nature 
comes out in this pretty description : 

"Commencement Day, the merriest day of all the 
}-ear at Hampton, fell this year [1877] on the 24th 
of May. The weather was charming, cool and 
bracing. Steamboats, sail-boats, carriages, and mule- 
teams brought crowds of visitors, white and black : 
officers of the army and navy, judges and members 
of the press, friends of the school from the North, 
and relatives of the students from the neighborhood 
and farther south. Richmond, New York, and Ports- 
mouth were well represented. To crown the occa- 
sion, Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, our President's wife, 
beautiful, dignified, courteous, and good, came with a 
party from the White House. . . . 

" Early in the forenoon, General Armstrong intro- 
duced me to Mrs. Hayes, and asked me to conduct 
her to the new cottages and objects of interest, after 
she had heard some of the recitations and looked at 
the fine specimens of farm products in Academic 
Hall. Mrs. Hayes kindly offered me her arm, and 
as we walked from one interesting point to another, 
she was astonished at the progress that had been 
made in every direction, though, this being her first 



HAMPTON. 



199 



visit, she was unable to fully appreciate the improve- 
ments. On the lawn in front of Academic Hall there 
were temporary sheds containing fine specimens of 
the farm stock, — horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep, — 
some of the best animals in the county. We stopped 
for some time to look at these ; and, as Mrs. Hayes 
especially admired a beautiful Alderney cow, I in- 
quired her name. Being told that she had no name, 
I proposed to Mrs. Hayes to give a name to this fine 
animal. Turning to me, she said, * Her color is like 
your bonnet ; I will name her Elizabeth Fry.' I 
need not assure you that the cow has been ever since 
an object of interest to visitors." 

Soon after that " merriest day," after her return 
home, a letter came to Hampton whose purport 
was : 

" I have fully decided to give up, at the close of 
the present school year, June 15th, the work of my 
life, — at least of fifty years of it. It is a great trial to 
me to come to this decision." 

All hearts at Hampton sympathized with the 
writer, and in the response which her letter called 
forth : 

" We have read your valedictory with interest and 
sympathy. We are glad that you are not to be under 
the heavy, incessant cares that have for fifty years 



200 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETII. 

taxed your strength. You are like a traveller at the 
end of a long journey, and you look back over your 
life with a feeling that no one can fully enter into, 
I rejoice that God has spared you so long. You 
have been in His service, and His eye has been on 
you all these years. How we need Him every hour ! 
How little what is called success amounts to ! It is 
not peace; it is nothing to the smile of a loving 
Father. How surely we find that all that is satisfy- 
ing is in the relation of a child to a Father above ! I 
think you have this relation, and thus you have been 
a teacher to me, and will be for years to come, I 
hope. 

"Your outward work is changed, but you are 
always teaching by your sweet, pure, unselfish life. 
You have many pupils at Hampton,— many else- 
where. You are even now doing your best work. 
You have a larger school than the one in Merrick 
Street, and you will teach it long after you cease to 
breathe. How rich you are in the trust, love, and 
devotion of those who know you ! You have fought 
a good fight. 

" I feel somehow that you are one of us. Now 
that you are free, may we not have you weeks at a 
time? How much good you can do in talking to 
the boys and girls here who are to go out into the 
world! It must be hard to put off the harness as 
you are doing. God grant you many long years of 
peace and strength and happiness — as you relinquish 
your local field for a larger field, as you pass from 
physical to spiritual teaching. You are going up- 



HAMPTON. 20 1 

wards, and have only thrown off old garments for 
brighter ones." 

She writes bravely in reply : 

" My work is brought to a close, — at least is 
changed in its direction, — but I trust ability will be 
granted to me to be useful in some way or other, and 
I assure thee that Hampton and its teachers and 
graduates will not be forgotten. My recreation will 
be found, as heretofore, in looking after and watching 
over my colored pupils. Yes, we do need Him every 
hour, and while ct tenco et teneor is our motto, and 
we let Him keep fast hold of our hand, we are safe. 

" ' He will dii'ect our feet, 

Strengthen our hand, 
Give us our portion meet, 
Fulfil His promise sweet. 

Help us to stand.' " 

How the promise " not to forget Hampton" was 
kept, the years have well shown. It was put into 
immediate execution. The day after the close of her 
school, she writes : 

" To-day I am resting. On Monday will begin the 
real fatigue of sorting and sending offloads of books, 
furniture, etc., to my friends who are engaged in 
teaching, and to whom they will be useful. Some 
are to go to Hampton. A fortnight will probably be 
thus engaged." 



202 JMEMOIR OF MA RY A NNA LONGSTRE TH. 

" Your good note is received ; also all the boxes, 
books, maps, and minerals, the two window-hung 
blackboards, which will be exceeding useful, just 
what we have needed, and the ' dear old flag,' the 
emblem of the loyalty of your school and its head, in 
the times that tried men's (and women's) souls. We 
shall cherish it, and be proud to display it for its as- 
sociations with your school as well as for what it 
symbolizes, and we thank you heartily for all." 

" I read your letter to the senior class on Sabbath 
afternoon," writes a teacher. " One of them moved 
that thanks be returned to you for the interest you 
had manifested in them. A unanitnous aye was the 
response. I told them that the appreciation which 
would be most acceptable to you would be the reali- 
zation in themselves of your wishes and prayers for 
them." 

All the gentle ministries of former years were not 
only continued, but increased through the years that 
remained. 

One of her " objects of especial interest" was the 
formation of a library for the younger girls, to be 
kept in Virginia Hall, of books that would " combine 
amusement with instruction, and create a love for 
reading, preventing idle conversation." Four beau- 
tiful walnut cases, her gift, were soon stored, by her 
own generosity and that of friends enlisted by her in- 
fluence, with a choice collection of interesting books 



HAMPTON. 



203 



on natural histor}% biographical sketches, historical 
tales, etc., which gradually, through the same sources, 
increased to more than five hundred volumes. A 
teacher writes : 

" I am sure, dear friend, that you and those who 
through you have contributed these books for our 
girls, would enjoy the pleasure you are giving them, 
if you could see the appreciation they show of your 
kindness, not only by their delight in reading the 
books, but by the care they take of them. And they 
enjoy the feeling that you have selected the library 
especially with reference to them." 

" I wish you could have seen," wrote the large- 
hearted manager of the Hampton Girls' Industrial 
Department, " the pleasure given by your gifts of 
mottoes. By some it was expressed in words ; the 
eyes of others said more than the tongue. I gave 
one, ' God Bless Our Home,' to my good, faithful 
assistant, Mrs. Ivy. The tears came to her eyes ; she 
was ' mightily obliged,' for where she lived ' people 
don't do so much to make their houses look pretty 
as they do here,' and when she went home she would 
do all she could ' to make it a heap prettier than it is 
now.' " 

Hearing that a Christmas-tree was to grow up in 
an ever-hospitable parlor at Hampton Institute, for 
the benefit of some outside little ones and others 
not always remembered by Santa Glaus, Miss Mary 



204 



ATE MO I R OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 



Anna's motherly heart longed for a share in its 
blessedness. 

"Yours is received, and I have just opened the 
parcel that came by express, containing the beautiful 
dolls, twelve in number, hoods, aprons, handker- 
chiefs, picture-books, and texts. The latter I sent at 
once to Winona Lodge for the hospital-room. Little 
Edith's doll will delight her, I am sure, and in her 
name, and in the name of all the children, I thank 
you for your ever-thoughtful love. Christmas-time 
brings so many delights from you to them, that they 
may well imagine you are near of kin to the great 
Giver. 

" The General's children are well and bright. They 
were here on Sunday, and Edith was recalling the 
time when she made you into Queen of May in our 
sitting-room, winding wreaths about your chair and 
you. Lulie grows more and more like her gentle 
mother." 

Is it not possible here, without offending the deli- 
cacies of private relationships, to speak of the tender 
love for that " gentle mother" which, as many who 
will read these pages know, was the jewel-clasp of 
Miss Mary Anna's friendship for Hampton; a love 
like that of mother and child, which sought constant 
expression in tenderest words and deeds, which 
smoothed and brightened the path of the " gentle 
one" to the dark river, from the home and school 



HAMPTON. 



205 



where her life was a benediction ; a love which has 
reunited them on the other side, which must ever 
associate them in our sacred memories ? 

Even this record must own its large indebtedness 
to the manuscript memorial volumes which, with ex- 
quisite art, her loving hands prepared of that beloved 
friend for her children, into which her own self is so 
inwoven that they are the best source of reminis- 
cences of her connection with Hampton. 

" If I am permitted in any degree to hold up thy 
hands or to strengthen thy hope and faith, I bless my 
heavenly Father for giving me so sweet a mission." 

" I thank our Father for giving me such a friend. 
Every day I love and feel deeply grateful to you." 

"The grace of your presence was a luxury to us 
whenever we were in it. You have been more to us 
than our pens or tongues can ever say. Your dear 
love and interest lead our hearts toward heaven, 
where we know your treasure lies." 

" The children often speak of Aunt Mary Anna." 

" Seeing you is like a little look into a heavenly 
region apart from this work-a-day world ; and yet 
you have worked so hard and broken so many fet- 
ters." 

" I can hardly believe it possible that you should 
have had a hard lesson to learn, after helping so many 
to lay their burdens where there is strength all ready 
to bear them. It seems sometimes easy to lift our 
eyes to the hills and expect the strength and the help 

18 



2o6 ]^IEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

to come at once, or to wait patiently for it ; and 
again, we lift our eyes and the hills are obscured by 
mists : there appears to be nothing for our eyes or 
our hearts to rest upon." 

" These clouds, pain and sickness cast over thy 
pathway. Let us keep our eyes ever turned toward 
the everlasting hills, for the mists are only of the 
earth, and the glorious sun is shining beyond." 

" I cannot send you thanks for all you have done, 
but please to know that you are present with us al- 
ways as a real inspiration to better living, and as a 
reminder of the blessedness of using for others all 
that has been given to us. Your love and care have 
been so sweet to me, and they have been expressed 
in so many tender little ways, that I have been kept 
full of gratitude ever since I saw you. You have 
been a blessing to me ever since I knew you." 

" I feel like a mother bereaved of her child. My 
heart yearns for her." 

" Your devotion to her is even now a great com- 
fort. How can I thank you enough ! You have 
seemed to stand at our side with a helping hand ever 
since we knew you." 

" Absent or present she has rarely been absent 
from my thoughts. Even now I find myself wishing 
to send her a message of love or token of remem- 
brance." 

" Those who love each other in the Lord never see 
each other for the last time. There is no last time 
for them ; for they will be ' Forever with the Lord.' " 



HA^fPTON. 



207 



The hands that missed the dearest clasp were none 
the less active in ministries of good. Her heart kept 
pace with Hampton's growing interests, and found 
room for Indians and all ; though, asking for a list 
of new teachers, to write their names upon the " lit- 
tle parcels" designed for those whom she could 
hardly expect to know personally, she said with a 
little smile that was half a sigh, " Hampton is getting 
so big that I cannot get my arms around it any 
more." 

" How can we half thank you," wrote their teacher, 
" for the lovely books for our Indian girls, with their 
fascinating pictures and stories, and so much useful 
information withal ? Certainly the Winona Lodge 
Library has been most kindly cared for. Please ex- 
press our warm thanks also to your friends for their 
share. How much pleasure, dear Miss Mary Anna, 
through long years to come, will be given by those 
beautiful books, which will speak so loudly of Hamp- 
ton's fairy godmother ! I wish you could have seen 
the interest and delight with which some of the 
scholars looked at the book of Old Testament pic- 
tures which you sent, and which are very helpful in 
our Sunday-school lessons. Miss M., who takes 
charge of the little girls' corridor, finds the story- 
books very nice for Sunday evening reading to the 
little ones. May many blessings be showered upon 
you for all your kind and loving ministries to Wi- 
nona !" 



2o8 RIEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

Even as increasing feebleness made the dear hands 
falter and the loving eyes grow dim, those ministries 
did not cease. The letters came, though, more often, 
written from dictation by loving friends. 

" I have begun a letter to the Hampton graduates 
for the Soutlicrii Workman, but, being debarred from 
using my eyes at night, it is not yet finished." 

" I send by express to thy care a bundle of papers 
and tracts, tied up in small parcels (twenty-five in 
number), to be given to the teachers attending the 
institute who live in places where there are few books 
and little reading matter." 

" I intend to have a set of cap-quarto blank books 
made for the use of the teachers at Hampton, in- 
dexed, to aid them in their work, as follows : One to 
be marked History, to contain a catalogue of all the 
works on history in the Hampton Library, historical 
charts, maps, etc. Its companion volume to be 
marked History, Index Rennn, or shall I say Topics ; 
in which the teachers of history will write gradu- 
ally a list of references on historical subjects that 
they may wish to find readily. Another volume will 
be marked Biography, another Physics, another Ge- 
ography and Travels. Will it be desirable to have 
others ?" 

" I expect to-morrow to send off my last box to 
Hampton for this year (1883). I do not mean this 
school year. Through the kindness of my niece, 
Sara Longstreth, and one of my cousins, I have had 



HAMPTON. 209 

the pleasure of sending off my little parcels. It would 
be an exceedingly great trial to me to be obliged to 
omit these, although I have given up correspondence 
with my other friends." 

All at the school shared the hope that, when free 
from routine work, Hampton might have the privilege 
of long visits from this dear friend whose presence 
was a blessing. Taking advantage of this hope to 
do yet another sweet and generous deed, she fitted 
up a room at the school, to be used as a guest-cham- 
ber at times, but which was always known as Miss 
Longstreth's room, to be occupied by her, it was 
hoped, for weeks at a time. Many have enjoyed the 
comforts of the pretty room, with its fresh and dainty 
furnishing, and its pleasant view of the gliding river, 
but its dear owner was not to see it. 

At last, one had to write regretfully : 

"Our commencement exercises [of 1883] went off 
about as usual, but, dear friend, we missed you all 
through them. It hardly seems to me now as though 
the class could have graduated without your loving 
benediction personally bestowed upon them. Your 
two boxes have both come. Many thanks for them." 

The year went on, bringing repeated tokens of re- 
membrance to Hampton, — the scholarships, school- 
books, collections of shells for the museum, books 

18* 



2IO MAMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

for the special libraries of Virginia Hall, Winona 
Lodge, and the Indian boys' " Wigwam." But the 
hope of welcoming the dear giver to Hampton ever 
diminished. 

"Alas!" she wrote, "I see no probabiHty of my 
going there for a very long time, if ever." 

Another anniversary approached, and one ex- 
pressed the general feeling in writing: 

" I need not say how much I shall regret your ab- 
sence on that day. I shall think of you often, and 
with deepest love and sympathy." 

The day passed, and one more gentle act fitly 
crowned the last year of loving care for Hampton. 

" And now I have a favor to ask of you, beloved 
sisters. I wish to give a photograph of your beloved 
General Marshall to a few of the teachers who have 
been at Hampton the longest. I have ordered a 
dozen copies made, and will order more if desirable. 
Please find out whether those I now send shall be 
given to the following, or if they have them already, 
and whether more are needed. With a heart full of 
love I remain, ever yours, M. A. Longstreth." 

The two dozen copies thus distributed will have a 
double value to those who received them. But her 



HAMPTON. 



211 



crowning and farewell gift to the school was a fine 
life-sized crayon portrait from the same photograph, 
to be hung in the Library Hall, where it will ever be 
associated with the loved giver as well as the honored 
original. 

The Hampton workers scattered to their vacation 
rest, the summer days passed, and, to one Northern 
home after another, came the hardly unexpected news 
that with them the sweet spirit of Mary Anna Long- 
streth had passed to the eternal home and the glory 
that excelleth. Their thoughts all flew to Hampton, 
where they had known and loved her so well. 

On the evening of the day on which the news 
reached Hampton, the students, as they assembled 
for prayers in the Virginia Hall chapel, where she 
had so often sat with them, were informed by the 
chaplain of Hampton's loss. Early the next day, the 
lovely portrait which had hung for several years in 
the teachers' parlor, was draped by loving hands in 
soft folds of white and gray, with clinging ivy sprays, 
and as one by one her friends came to look at it, it 
was not hard to believe that she knew, better than 
mortal tongue could have told her, how truly she was 
mourned. The same evening, resolutions of regret 
and sympathy were adopted, signed by representa- 
tives of the school present in its vacation organiza- 
tion, officers, teachers, graduates, and colored and 



212 MEMOIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

Indian students, and sent, with warm expressions of 
sympathy, to her family in Philadelphia. 

When the school had gathered again to its winter's 
work, on Sunday evening, October 12th, a memorial 
service was held, that all might take part in the 
tribute to this beloved friend ; to acquaint the new- 
comers with the debt of gratitude the school will 
always owe her, and to give appropriate reception to 
the generous gift which occupied her last thoughts 
of Hampton. 

Two easels on the platform held, the one this 
portrait, and the other the beautiful crayon of Miss 
Longstreth herself from the teachers' parlor. The 
two genial faces smiled benevolently upon the assem- 
bly. Rev. Mr. Tolman, the school's first chaplain, 
dwelt upon the beauty and significance of this life of 
unselfishness and Christian love. Its present pastor, 
Mr. Frissell, spoke of the deep interest Miss Long- 
streth always took in the religious work of the 
school ; the help it had been to his own efforts ; the 
letters that came from her hand every year to the 
graduating class; the deep solicitude she expressed 
that every graduate should go out as a soldier of 
Christ, a teacher of righteousness. 

The Principal gave the history of Miss Long- 
streth's connection with the Hampton school from 
its early days ; the many generous, gracious, delicate 



HAMPTON. 



213 



deeds which with spontaneous, untiring kindness, she 
had scattered along its way ; the cheer and inspira- 
tion she had given to its work ; her interest growing 
with its growth, following its graduates to their little 
school-houses with helpful gifts and even with inval- 
uable letters of counsel from her busy hand ; her 
broad nature, finding room for many other benevolent 
works; the tributes brought by hundreds who rise 
up to call her blessed. Not hers the bare " gifts 
without the giver." The deepest gratitude owed her 
by the many she helped and blessed is for the loving 
heart that went with all she gave, large or small. 
One of those rich souls of whom the Christ will say: 

" Who gives herself with his gifts feeds three, 
Himself, his hungry neighbor, and Me." 

Hampton's absent treasurer wrote from his new 
home : 

" Dear, blessed Miss Longstreth ! what an angel 
of mercy she has been to the school, and to those 
connected with it ! How constant, untiring, and 
generous have been her care for it, and her contribu- 
tions to it ! And how thoughtful and loving was her 
regard for every worker at Hampton ! There is 
hardly a room in my house here that has not some 
gift of hers, as token of her loving sympathy in our 
Hampton work. That we were honored with the 
esteem and love of so saintly a woman will ever be 
among the most cherished and tender memories of 



214 ^^^^^OIR OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH. 

our Hampton life. That her last gift to the school 
should have been my portrait affects me deeply. I 
only wish that I were more worthy of such honor 
from such a woman. 

" Hampton will cherish her memory. Her life of 
devotion to good works will be to teachers and stu- 
dents an inspiration. Her place cannot be filled on 
earth, but great will be her reward in heaven." 

So long as one who knew her is left at Hamp- 
ton, no anniversary day can pass without sweet 
thoughts of her whose loving eyes so often kindled 
with its enthusiasm. At the last one, the first to 
pass since she left us, the salutatorian's essay closed 
with a tribute to this ever-remembered, ever-beloved 
friend of Hampton, whose gentle pictured face smiled 
down upon the scene from under its living crown of 
lilies : " whose life has passed from earth, whose work, 
please God, shall never die." 

The Hampton graduates would not be left out in 
these memorial offerings. 

" Hampton has lost one of its strongest and warm- 
est friends," writes one. " She will never be forgot- 
ten by those who knew her." 

" We have lost a trusted and tried friend in Miss 
Longstreth. I remember, almost as though it were 
but yesterday, how she talked to us ' Hampton Sing- 
ers' in Philadelphia, in 1873; how her earnest face 
beamed with an unselfish desire for our welfare, and 



HAMPTON. 



215 



after presenting us each with a copy of Longfellow's 
poems, how she prayed witli, us. I have often thought 
that the Lord answered her prayer and suffered us to 
be ten minutes late, which saved us from the Stoning- 
ton railroad wreck in that year." 

" I am indeed pained to hear of dear Miss Long- 
streth's death. I feel her loss keenly. It was she, 
you know, who paid for my schooling while I was at 
Hampton, and oh, such cheering letters I received 
from her since I have been teaching; — even up to 
June. Yes, and even my school will miss her. I 
have her photograph, and now it is as dear to me as 
anything on earth." 

" I rejoice to know that I have a token by which 
I shall always remember dear Miss Longstreth. It 
is a hymn-book I received last year from her." 

" No one can feel Miss Longstreth's death more 
than I do. I have been blessed so much in my work 
by her timely and useful gifts. Not only her gifts, 
but I have also had her good Christian advice, which 
she used to write to me till she got too weak to write 
much. Her letters followed me to Africa, and I trust 
her good advice will follow me to my grave." 

Even since her departure, Hampton has heard of 
generous remembrance from this constant friend. 
Generous as it is, as Hampton's treasurer once wrote 
her, " That which can appear on the books is but a 
small part of what the school owes" her. In almost 
every building erected since she knew the place, she 



2 1 6 MEMO J R OF MA RY A NNA L ONGS TR E TH. 

has a part. Virginia Hall, especially, " seems full of 
suggestions of her kindness." Look into its dining- 
room, whose tables used to blossom white with the 
tokens of her thoughtfulness of little needs ; into 
the teachers' pleasant parlor, furnished by her hands 
alone, and presided over by her gentle pictured face ; 
into the girls' sitting-room, with its pretty well-stored 
book-cases ; into the doctor's office, with its hand- 
some desk and book-case, and " convalescents' " li- 
brary, and into the Southern Workuian office, with its 
convenient editorial desk; into teachers' rooms, where 
from every wall and corner, beam reflections of her 
kindness; and into that chamber of peace, which, 
though she never entered it in bodily form, seems 
always occupied by her sweet presence. 

With the loved one whose sweet friendship drew 
her heart most closely to us, Hampton's thought of 
our beloved Miss Longstreth will ever be: 

"She is present with us always as an inspiration 
to better living, and as a reminder of the blessedness 
of using for others all that has been given to us. 
Surely her name and face will be a heavenly influ- 
ence, helping all who pass within these walls, like 
that of a guardian angel." 



APPENDIX. 



217 



APPENDIX. 



The following are added at the request of Miss 
Susan Longstreth : 

Departed this life on the 15th of Eighth mo., 1884, 
Mary Anna Longstreth, in the seventy-fourth year 
of her age ; a member of the Western District 
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia. 

Having been trained from infancy in habits of 

implicit obedience, it was comparatively easy for her 

to submit her will to the righteous law of God. A 

teacher for fifty years, it was her privilege, while 

aiding her thousand pupils to climb the hill of 

knowledge, to train them in Wisdom's ways, which 

they found to be ways of pleasantness, and all her 

paths peace. And now that our loving Saviour has 

fulfilled to her His gracious promise, " If I go and 

prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive 

you unto Myself," many rise up and call her blessed, 

rejoicing in the full assurance that she is one of the 

great multitude around the throne who unite in say- 

219 



220 APPENDIX. 

ing, with a loud voice, " Worthy is the Lamb that 
was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, 
and strength, and glory, and blessing." — Friends' 
Review. 



IN MEMORY OF MARY ANNA LONGSTRETH, WHO DE- 
PARTED THIS LIFE EIGHTH MO. 15th, 1884. 

There was a very beautiful, quiet, useful life laid to 
its rest in the beginning of this week that should not 
pass altogether unnoticed. It was the life of a good 
woman, spent in doing good in such good ways as 
made it a perpetual benediction. Without any parade 
of her name or her presence ; with a bright, vivid 
cheerfulness which none of the world's darkness or 
discouragement ever dimmed; with an unfailing sym- 
pathy for all who suffered wrong; with courageous 
faith that never lost either its patience or its zeal ; 
with a broad-minded philanthropy that shut out no 
good cause from the circle of its interest; with a 
delightful zest in doing good that advancing age and 
infirmity could not abate; with a single-minded pur- 
pose to be always about her Father's business ; with 
a delicately-trained instinct that kept her ever ready 
to recognize what was wrong, and a sweet gentleness 
that gave her reproof of the wrong a grateful wel- 
come; with clear, sound judgment and a beautifully 



APPENDIX. 221 

cultivated mind, — with these and with all the grace 
and beauty and dignity of a lovely womanhood per- 
vading her presence, Mary Anna Longstreth has 
served her day and generation, and has gone peace- 
fully to her reward. — F. W., in Philadelphia Evening 
Bulletin. 



IN MEMORIAM. 



Mary Anna Longstreth, Vice-President of the 
Philadelphia Branch of "The Woman's Union Mis- 
sionary Society," representing the Society of Friends, 
died August 15th. 

" Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord : that 
they may rest from their labors and their works do 
follow them." 

Of few can these words so truly be spoken as of 
the dear departed one to whose sainted memory we 
would offer our heart-felt tribute of affection and 
respect. A long life of uninterrupted activities has 
peacefully closed, but the fragrance of its exquisite 
development will long endure to revive and refresh 
the toiling and weary ones who yet remain. 

The beauty of womanhood, in form, in character, 
in influence, and in power, is rarely more perfectly 
exemplified than in the person and character of her 
who was so many years prominent in the great work 



222 



APPENDIX. 



of education, and who was long associated with us 
in the special work of our society. By her extended 
personal influence she was for many years our great 
stay and support; and in far-distant heathen lands her 
name is loved and honored by many just waking 
from the death-like sleep of ignorance and sin. 

In our own city (Philadelphia) the name of Mary 
Anna Longstreth is sacred in many homes, whose 
mothers and daughters have owed to her much that 
was best in their mental and spiritual development. 

To her efforts for the intellectual culture of those 
committed to her care, she added a maternal solici- 
tude for the growth of those graces which are the 
essentials of the perfect woman, and none could come 
under her personal influence without being impressed 
with the beauty of holiness which beamed from every 
feature, — to look upon her was a benediction, to talk 
with her was an inspiration. 

No benevolent philanthropic or missionary work 
escaped her attention and sympathy ; her large- 
hearted charity was ever on the alert, and even in the 
retirement of her declining years her activities never 
ceased. 

Loving in manner, tender in sympathy, wise in 
counsel, ready in liberality, and wide in personal 
influence, her death is a loss almost irreparable. 

But while we realize our loss, we would thank God 



APPENDIX. 



223 



for the blessing of having known and labored with 
one so gifted and yet so consecrated ; so complete, 
yet so simple ; so honored, yet so unaffected ; so ag- 
gressive, yet so retiring ; so decided, yet so gentle : 
in a word, whose well-rounded character was a circle 
of beauty, and of whom, even after a long and active 
life amidst the turmoil and confusion of a large city, 
we may well say, " Blessed are the pure in heart, for 

they shall see God." 

C. H. M. 



EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN SOME YEARS 
PREVIOUS TO HER DEATH, BY ELIZA P. GURNEY, 
WIFE OF JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY, WHO WAS HIMSELF 
A HIGHLY-VALUED FRIEND OF M. A. LONGSTRETH. 

My Dearest Marianna, — The cheering little visi- 
tants that occasionally wing their way from thee to my 
retired home, bringing fresh evidence of unforgetful 
love, are always warmly welcomed ; and generous as 
thou art in balancing the debit and credit account 
between us, allowing me when I owe thee fifty 
pounds to put down ten, I feel as if thy last bright 
paper messenger deserved an early answer, if only 
just to say it brought thee very vividly before me 
with new and tender feelings of old faithful friendship 
and unchanged regard. I consider thee, my dear 



224 APPENDIX. 

Marianna, as one of the first of my old-tried PhilaT 
delphia friends. . . . 

Thou speaks of feeling it cause for thankfulness 
when a blessing is permitted to rest upon thy labors 
for the welfare of the precious charge committed to 
thy care, which led me to think that perhaps {q.v^ 
persons had so low an estimate of their services in 
proportion to the amount of benefit which had really 
accrued from them to the rising generation as thy 
own dear self. I believe I may express the convic- 
tion of my heart, by way of encouragement, that the 
Lord, whom thou lovest and hast long desired to 
serve, has qualified and is using thee as an instru- 
ment of great good to the lambs of the fold, many 
of whom, with their children and children's children, 
will have abundant cause in days to come to rise up 
and call thee blessed in the name of the Lord. 



THE END. 







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